


The Ghost

by DianneRose2016



Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Genre: Gay Sex, M/M, Mentions of Sexual Content, Papa Jason, Sexual Content, Swearing, Violence, clay gay, mentions of past trauma, the team being protective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:22:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28686309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DianneRose2016/pseuds/DianneRose2016
Summary: Twenty-four years ago Jason was told a lie that devastated him. Now twenty-four years later he came face to face with someone he was told was dead, his oldest son David. Who goes by Clay Spenser now or as the world knew him as, The Ghost. A CIA assassin that has never known love, family, friendship or the small luxuries that people take advantage of every day, like electricity. Jason is not about to leave his son behind to suffer a lonely and dangerous life. He doesn’t care what he has to do, he was going to save his son and show him just what this world had to offer.
Relationships: Clay Spenser/Original Character(s)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 137





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I said I wouldn’t be back until Feb 1st, but I suck at waiting. So I am going to focus on three stories right now, all of which have chapters saved up to be released once a week. I am still going to keep writing so my chapter bank is nice and big. The three stories that I am going to be working on are: Becoming Zulu (available on my AO3 account), Protecting what is Precious and my new story The Ghost.
> 
> Story Warnings: Mentions of sexual content within conversations, violence, swearing. Clean version will be on my Fanfiction account, dirty version with sex will be on my AO3 account.

Jason couldn’t believe this was happening. It was supposed to be a simple mission in Algeria. They were to go after a rebel fraction that had connections to a warlord that had been in hiding for two decades. When they got to the compound the raid had been going smoothly, until they discovered that said warlord had been in hiding within the tunnels underground. The guys weren’t about to let him get away and go into hiding again, so they chased him through the tunnels and came up on the outside of the compound. Then everything went ass up. The warlord had managed to get behind them and grabbed Jason around his neck and held a gun to his head. He made sure to position himself perfectly so the guys couldn’t get a shot.

“Come on man, let’s talk this out.” Ray tried. He was hoping to get a shot, but everywhere he moved the warlord moved with them.

There was no way they would be able to get the right angle with the guy looking right at him. They needed to distract him somehow or for Jason to be able to get him off balance so they could get a shot. The problem was, this guy wasn’t some rookie, he was a warlord that had been in hiding for two decades to save his own ass. He wasn’t going to make a rookie mistake or a miscalculation, his whole life depended on it. The man said something in another language that none of the guys understood.

“Don’t think he speaks English Ray.” Sonny commented. 

All of them were getting nervous and doing their best to not show it. This situation had turned ass up faster than any of them expected it would. They needed a way to get Jason away from the guy so one of them could make the shot. They just needed one of them to have a clear shot and then this whole situation would be over and done with. No one in the Upper Brass was going to be giving them shit for killing a warlord. They just needed an opening to take advantage of. Before anyone could speak, before any of them even had the opportunity to do something, a shot rang out, hitting the warlord’s head from Jason’s right. It not only killed the warlord, half of his head was gone from the power the bullet had. The guys all flinched and got low, they weren’t expecting a sniper at all.

“Bravo One to HAVOC, we got shots fired to the southeast.”

“Copy Bravo One, ISR is searching.” Davis said.

The guys all had their guns up and pointed in the direction of where the shot came from. They had not expected a sniper, nor did they know if the sniper was only interested in the warlord or them as well. It was no secret that American troops in this area were not well liked. 

“I don’t see anyone.” Ray said, as he had been scanning the area.

“I don’t either. We wait for the all clear though.” Jason said.

He was glad that the warlord was dead, don’t get him wrong, but he also wasn’t just going to assume that their sniper was a friendly. He wasn’t going to risk the lives of his brothers. 

“Bravo One, ISR isn’t picking anything up within the immediate area. You are clear to move. I will keep searching for any trace of a sniper.” Davis said.

“Copy HAVOC, moving to exfil.” Jason said.

The guys all headed off for the exfil location. They knew Davis said she hadn’t found any sniper, but they still kept their head on a swivel to make sure they didn’t have any more unexpecting surprises. They were all relieved that they made it safely to their chopper and they were on their way back to the hangar. Once they landed the guys were instantly heading into the plane where Davis, Blackburn and Mandy were, along with their support staff.

“Did you get anything?” Jason asked, before the others could say anything.

“No, nothing. I’ve looked through the area, but I couldn’t see anyone or any indication that a sniper had been there. I used satellite images to see a larger area, but nothing within three thousand yards of your location in that direction.” Davis answered.

“Whoever it was, got out of the area pretty quick or is hiding in some tunnel that we don’t know about.” Mandy added.

“I think this time around we should just be grateful that there was a sniper in the area and that you all are ok.” Blackburn said.

“Ya, but who could it have been?” Sonny asked.

“It could have been someone looking to take out a warlord. It could have been someone that is fighting against the rebels. The South African army could also have had a sniper watching the compound waiting to take the warlord out as well. There’s lots of possibilities within this area. We can keep looking, but for now it looks like it wasn’t someone we need to worry about.” Blackburn answered.

“Whoever it was saved my life, would have been nice to know who they were. Give their hand a shake.” Jason said.

There had been many times in his life he thought that a single moment would have been his last. He always came out of it with a few bruises, but he survived and that was all that mattered. Today though, that was as close to death as he had ever come. He knew his guys didn’t have a shot on the warlord and he knew the warlord was not going to be captured. They didn’t even speak the same language. His guys would survive, but in order for that to happen, the warlord would have had to shoot him and then the guys would have fired. Jason would have happily died if it meant that his guys would be ok. With that said though, he didn’t want to die. He had two kids to think about and he couldn’t leave them as orphans. After Alana’s death Jason thought about walking away from the team, from the action. He knew he had to be there for his kids. The problem was even his kids knew he would never be happy in a non-action role. He wasn’t made that way and they both understood that. With Emma off in College and Mickey off in his hockey school, it only made sense for Jason to keep doing what he loved, what he was good at. That didn’t change that he worked his ass off to make sure he came back home alive to them each and every single time he got on that plane. Whoever this sniper was just saved his life and more importantly, saved his children from losing the only parent they had left. 

“It was good work either way. Operation was complete and a warlord has been taken out. All in all, it was a good day.” Blackburn said with understanding in his voice. 

“I’ll keep looking, but I wouldn’t hold your breath on me being able to find anything. Whoever it was is good enough to stay hidden.” Davis said.

“It’s all good Davis. We all got out with all of our parts attached. It’s not like we’ll ever see this mystery sniper again.” Sonny said, with a shrug as he headed off to get his gear off.

“True.” Davis easily agreed.

“Get ready, we’re taking off in ten.” Blackburn told everyone.

The guys all made their way to their areas to get their gear off and get their hammocks up. They had been going for days on this operation and they were all looking forward to getting some sleep. This time around they could leave an area knowing they made it safer with the death of the warlord. They knew someone else would eventually take his place, that his death wouldn't stop the rebels from still attacking civilians, but it was one less evil person in the world.

XXX

The next morning Jason stood there looking down at the old grave. He had fresh flowers in his hands and a small brown teddy bear. For the past twenty-four years he had been coming to this very grave on this day. The only time he had missed was when he was on tour or spun up, but even then he always remembered what day it was. He always remembered the loss of this day and whenever he got back he always came here with new flowers and a new gift. Even though it had been twenty-four years today that Jason had lost him, the loss was just as paralyzing as it was back then. Jason bent down and took out the dead flowers and tossed them into the grass before he placed the new flowers into the metal vase that stuck out of the ground. He then went and placed the teddy bear on the button edge of the tombstone. Jason ran his hand over the front of the tombstone, his fingers tracing the small engraved angel in the corner before moving down to the name and dates.

_ David Hayes _

_ February 11, 1996 - February 11, 1996 _

_ Beloved Son Born With Angel Wings _

Jason still couldn’t believe that this had happened to him. Jason had heard plenty of horror stories from other guys about their child being a stillborn. Jason never thought he would ever go through something so horrible. He always thought it would never happen to him. To this day Jason still couldn’t believe it happened to him, even with the proof right in front of him. The only saving grace in any of this had been that Alana hadn’t been the one to go through this pain. Jason knew it was wrong to be glad someone else had, that another mother had to bury their child, but Jason loved Alana still to this day with everything in him, he would never wish for her to have this level of pain within her heart. It had been twenty-four, almost twenty-five years ago when Jason met Mia Fuller. Him and Alana had broken up once again. They had been together since high school and despite knowing that Alana was his soulmate, they had a bumpy ride. Jason had been in the Seals and working a lot, but when he wasn't working he was out with the boys partying. There had been a lot of drinking and a lot of nights where he would wake up in some random person’s home passed out on the couch. 

It hadn’t been all that surprising when Alana threw her hands up and said enough was enough. She was at the point in her life that she wanted a husband and a father to her children. She wanted to get a place together and to get married, having children, something Jason didn’t hold much interest in. He was too wild and had no interest in being tied down with kids. Not to mention he knew what it was like to have a father constantly gone off to war, he never wanted that for his children and he was man enough to admit that his career was more important. He was never going to be able to give up his career, it was not only what he loved to do, it was a huge piece of his identity. He was born to be an operator and that wasn’t going to change. So when Alana left him that time, Jason did what he always did, he went to work and then continued to party. That’s how he met Mia. She was a heavy party girl, she didn’t stop with the drinks, she loved the cocaine and Molly that were passed around at the parties. Jason didn’t care about her using, because they were just having fun. It wasn’t anything serious so there was no point in getting into a fight over it. If she was too high one night, Jason would just sleep with someone else. Life was so simple back then. It all changed though when Mia told him she was pregnant. At first he refused to believe it, even when he was looking at the proof right in his hands. Jason always figured he would be pissed off if he got a woman pregnant. He always figured it would be the end of his career and his life. What he didn’t expect was the hint of pride and excitement at the thought of being a dad. That little plus sign changed everything. Jason had stopped drinking all together and he saved every single cent he made. He was going to make sure that his child had everything it needed. Mia had quit drinking and doing drugs as well, they were going to make it work. Even though Mia wasn’t the love of his life, Jason was determined to make it work, to be a good man and do the honorable thing. 

Jason could still remember how thrilled he was when he found out that they were having a boy. He was having a son. The pride that flooded his whole body and heart was overwhelming. He pictured playing catch with him in the backyard. Teaching him how to shave, how to drive. To be there for him when he fell in love for the first time. Teaching him how to play hockey and driving him to hockey practices and games. That first beer he could share with him. Jason was going to make sure that his son had the best life he could possibly give to him. All of that changed when Mia was five months pregnant. Jason had been away on tour and when he left Mia was pregnant with his son. When he came back from war, Mia took off and his son was in the ground. She had an unexpected complication, one she didn’t tell him about, and the result was her going into early labour. No matter how hard the doctors tried, they couldn’t stop it. His son was born four months early and a stillborn. Jason was pissed when he got back and found a note from Mia telling him what had happened and where his son was buried. Jason didn’t believe it at first. He drove to the cemetery expecting it all to be some horrible lie, only there was his grave. He had wanted to name him after his father and Mia had respected that. 

That night Jason had broken down and got so drunk he almost had to go to the hospital to get his stomach pumped. He couldn’t stop thinking about the loss, about what his son would never get to have. His son had never gotten the chance to have a life. He never got the chance to smile, to laugh, to fall in love, to get his heart broken. He never even got the chance to take a single breath. The loss of his son had caused a piece of his heart to die, and still to this day it had never come back. He had gone to Alana the next day and told her what happened. She had been there for him and got him through it all. She had been his rock, just as she always had and together they healed from it and were able to build a whole life together, complete with two children. Jason loved Mickey and Emma with everything in him, but he would always feel the loss, would always miss his first born child, his son.

“Twenty-four years, I can’t believe it’s been that long already. I wish I had gotten to hold you. I wish I had gotten to tell you that I love you. I wish I could have protected you from this. I would have made sure you were loved each and every single day. I would have always been there for you. I would have made sure you always knew I was in your corner, that I would always defend you and protect you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when you were born. I’m so sorry you couldn’t have the life that you deserved. I just hope in our next life, that I will be blessed to be your dad again. I won’t fail you next time. I love you with all of my heart Sunshine.”

Jason had a lot of regrets in his life, but not being there for when his son was born was the biggest regret in his life. He knew logically there was nothing he could have done to save his son’s life. He wasn’t a doctor, but even he knew that being only twenty-five weeks along, there was nothing anyone could do. A baby’s lungs weren’t viable until at least twenty-seven weeks. His son didn’t stand a chance, but that didn’t change the fact that he felt guilty. That he felt like he had let his son down, that he had failed him. He carried his son with him everywhere he went and that would never change. Jason sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky. The sun was shining and it was a beautifully clear day today. Jason turned to the book that he had brought with him, the first Harry Potter book, as he spoke.

“Should we pick up where we left off?”

Jason opened the book to where he had placed the bookmark and he began to read. He had been reading to his son for years, especially on his birthday. It was a way Jason could be there for him on what should have been a day that was celebrated. This was a day that they could spend together and Jason would every year until the day that he died.

XXX

The weather in Algeria that night was not one that would be considered pleasant. There was a downpour of rain and a flash flood warning. The rain had been something that he had been dealing with for the majority of his life and he knew how to handle it. He knew to get up high and to stay covered. That is why Clay was currently curled up against the wall of a cave. It wasn’t a very big cave, more like an alcove up in one of the hills, but it would work to keep him safe from the rain and any flash flooding should it happen. Clay sat with his back against the dirt wall with his legs curled up against his chest by the entrance of the alcove. He could see the rain running down the entrance as if it were one sheet of water. The rain was brutal tonight and Clay was lucky he had been able to find a place to hide out in so he wouldn’t end up soaking wet and potentially sick. 

Clay knew he should be trying to sleep, but his mind wouldn’t stop thinking about the past couple of days. Clay had grown up believing that Ash Spenser was his father. He had been told that’s who his biological father was, at least for the first nine years of his life. Clay grew up believing that his mother Mia and his father Ash, had gotten pregnant and Ash wanted her to have an abortion, but Mia refused and along he came nine months later. Clay didn’t really have any memories of his mother or of Ash before the age of three. He knew Mia had overdosed and died when he was three and then Ash showed up and the next day he was on a plane to Africa to live with his grandparents. Ash had showed up on very rare occasions, but not often enough for Clay to truly remember him. When his grandparents were killed when he was five, Clay was then shipped off to orphanages where his hell had started. Clay was thrilled when Ash showed up when he was nine that he would get to go and be with him. Clay had no memories of being in America, but the way people talked about it, it sounded like this magical place. Only Ash told him that he wasn’t his biological father and he wanted nothing to do with him. It had torn him apart for a very long time. It was the reality that no one was coming for him. He was going to be trapped in that hell until he was old enough to legally leave. 

The problem was the rebels continued to invade the village and Clay was constantly shipped around. He barely spoke the language, he had no one there to make sure he was taken care of. Often there was no food for weeks. He would sleep on the floor, there was no water, just the water that you could catch from the rain. No electricity, no icebox, no toys, nothing but dirt and abuse. When he was twelve the rebels had raided their small village, killing everyone they could. Clay had ran and he didn’t stop until he could no longer hear the gunfire. He had struggled to survive on his own, but then something happened he never expected, he met Shadow. Shadow was an ex-military sniper for the South African Army and he had taken Clay in. It was the first time Clay believed that he would finally get to have a home, only Shadow didn’t have a home. He lived in caves, slept on the ground, only ate what he could hunt. He stayed hidden in the shadows and he would kill rebels and threats to the people. He had allowed Clay to follow him around the country and he had taught Clay the languages and how to shoot. From that point forward Clay had been hunting for food, but at the age of sixteen he himself had been eliminating threats. Clay thought he would always have Shadow, but one day when he was almost sixteen Shadow had disappeared. They had gone to sleep and when Clay woke up, Shadow was gone and Clay had never heard or seen him again. It was hard for him to wake up and realise he was alone all over again. He had to fend for himself and it wasn’t easy, but Clay made it work. 

His entire life changed though when he was sixteen and a half when Agent Moore with the CIA appeared in his life. Clay had never heard of the CIA before and he had no idea what any of it meant. Agent Moore had appeared because they had gotten wind of a sniper in Africa taking out high value targets before the CIA could get to them. Agent Moore had tracked him down and he was surprised to find a sixteen year old kid making the shots. Agent Moore had spoken with Clay for hours and told him all about the life of a CIA agent and how amazing it was. Clay thought it sounded like they were all spies and he was very interested. Agent Moore had come by a month later and that time he had even brought a brand new rifle for Clay to have. Clay’s current rifle at the time had been very old and wouldn’t last much longer. Clay had never been given anything before in his life and he had no idea how to even accept the gift. Agent Moore had told him to think of it as an investment into his future. The rifle was amazing and it was still the one he used to this day. It was banged up and in need of some love, but Clay had done his best to take care of it. 

What was surprising to Clay though, was how Agent Moore acted. After he had accepted the new rifle, Agent Moore had kissed him. It was the first time Clay had ever had physical contact with someone. Up until that point he had never been touched, never been hugged and he certainly had never been kissed. Clay didn’t even know that two guys could kiss each other. He had been so focused on staying alive that he didn’t have any extra energy for thinking about sex. Agent Moore had told Clay that it was normal and if it felt good you should do it. He hadn’t kissed him again on that visit, but he did on the next visit a month later. Within four months of knowing Agent Moore, they had sex that very first time in the cave that Clay was staying in. It was awkward and weird at first for Clay. He had never been touched and then Agent Moore had made him feel good. It hurt at first, but then it started to feel good. 

When he was eighteen Agent Moore had offered him a job with the CIA as an assassin. He would be going after some of the worst criminals in the world. Clay thought it sounded exciting and he was all too happy to sign the contract. There were a lot of rules though, more so when Agent Moore had added some personal rules for him to follow. Clay didn’t care though, because now he had a real job, a purpose and a potential loving boyfriend that he could build a life with. Things hadn’t really changed though for him. Clay thought he would be living in a house, but he had to stay hidden and invisible so he had to continue to sleep rough and rely on hunting for his food. Clay didn’t mind it though, because he was still someone special. The past six years had grown harder on him though. The desire for something more was starting to take a toll on him. Agent Moore kept saying that they would one day get a house together and build a life. That one day Clay wouldn’t have to be out as an assassin and he could do something else within the CIA. Clay was still waiting for that day to come.

A little over a year ago though Clay had gotten curious about who he was, who his father was. Clay had done something he never thought he would do, he went against one of Agent Moore’s rules and he broke into a library one night and ordered a DNA kit for himself. He wasn’t supposed to be seen by anyone, but Clay just couldn’t help but wonder who he came from. What made up his DNA. It was also a weird experience for him because up until that point he had never used a computer before. He had seen Agent Moore using one, but he was never allowed to touch it. It took him a good thirty minutes to even figure out how to get into the computer. Once the results were in, Clay had broken into another library to check his ancestry website and he was surprised to see that his father was in a DNA database for the American Navy. Clay had no idea who Jason Hayes was, the only thing he could find was that he was in the Navy. Clay couldn’t find anything on him online. Clay had asked Agent Moore about him once he saw him again. Agent Moore was not happy with him for doing what he did, something Clay had paid for, but it was worth it because Agent Moore had agreed to give him Jason’s file and Clay was able to discover he was a Master Chief in DEVGRU working on a team called Bravo. With the information Clay figured he could now move on and forget about it. That was until Clay saw Jason.

The first time it happened it was just a coincidence. They just so happened to be in the same area going after the same target. Clay had laid there looking at them through his scope, unable to even focus on his own operation of killing the target. He didn’t engage, he just watched them. Clay couldn’t explain it, but just seeing Jason had his heart stopping. With just one look, he had become obsessed. From that moment on Clay knew he had to protect him. He couldn’t just let his dad be out there without him watching his back. Clay knew it was irrational, because he didn’t know the man. But there was some biological connection he shared with him in an instant. He tried to forget about him. He tried to blow it off and go back to doing what he was supposed to be doing, but he just couldn’t. That was when he broke the rules for the second time and reached out to a CIA Analyst who would send him the location of every tour or operation that Bravo was going on. He would also send the private plane for him so he could go to that location and be able to watch over them. In return Clay would give him two thousand dollars a month for it. The transfer would come right from his bank and be put into the analyst’s account. The analyst had set it up for him, as Clay didn’t even have a bank card. He knew he had a bank account, he had signed the forms for it through the stack of papers from the CIA when he joined. He knew there was money in there from his paychecks, but Clay wasn’t allowed to use any of it because he couldn’t be seen. 

Over the next year Clay had been following Bravo on their operations when he was able to. It wasn’t always possible depending on if he was on his own assignment. Agent Moore knew Clay was doing it because there had been a few times when he was to be picked up in one country, but he was in a completely different one. Agent Moore wasn’t happy about it and often Clay was having to make it up to him. Clay didn’t mind though because to him it was worth it if he could see Jason. Yesterday though Clay had broken the one golden rule he had for himself, do not engage. When he saw Jason being grabbed and held at gunpoint by the warlord, Clay couldn’t just lay there and watch his dad be killed. He took the shot and then he quickly ran away so he wouldn't be spotted. In the past year he has fired a few shots, but that was when Bravo was in a compound and targets were surrounding the outside. He had never made contact with them present before and Clay knew he was putting himself at risk, but he had to act. 

Clay knew he had to stop this, that it wasn’t healthy for him. Jason either didn’t know about him or he did and he wanted nothing to do with him, either way it wasn’t going to end well for Clay and he knew that. He needed to go back to forgetting about Bravo, forgetting about Jason Hayes and just focus on his life and making sure he made Agent Moore happy so they could share their life together. Clay couldn’t keep letting his head go off into the clouds about some make believe life of where he had a loving family there for him. He was all on his own. The only person he did have was Agent Moore and he needed to make sure he was happy so he wouldn’t leave him too. This was his life and Clay just had to accept that. 


	2. Chapter 2

The guys made their way to the compound where their American scientists were being held for ransom. None of the guys were having fun with this one because they were in Siberia in the middle of March. They were freezing and miserable. All they wanted to do was get the damn scientists out of the compound and get home. They wanted to get back to where they would be nice and warm and not walking through two feet of snow. Sonny had made it very clear how much he hated this operation and for once the guys could agree with him. They were all cold and tired and despite them having winter gear on, their feet were numb. They were miserable and just ready to get this over with, the problem was though it had just started. They had only just arrived at the compound. They still needed to go in and get the scientists out and then hike back to exfil with them. It was going to be a very long day. 

The raid on the compound was going smoothly, that should have been Jason’s first indication that something else was going to happen. They were able to get into the compound and locate the scientists being held hostage. They grabbed them and they headed out. All without coming across a few tangos that they easily eliminated. It was easy, way too easy and everyone within Bravo was on edge. They didn’t mind an easy operation, but there was such a thing as one that was too easy and this operation first that perfectly. The second they were out of the compound a shot was being fired off in the distance. Jason turned to look at his guys and saw Brock and Trent were getting the scientists down and hidden behind some metal crates. Everyone else already had their guns up and started to fire back at the new tangos that were making their way to them.

“Bravo One to HAVOC, we have contact.”

“We see them Bravo One, they appeared through the trees. You have roughly forty tangos surrounding you. If you can clear a way to the east you will be able to get to the trees and head to exfil.” Davis said.

“Copy HAVOC, moving east.” 

The guys continued to shoot at the tangos that they could see, but they also picked up the sound of another gun that didn’t belong to them. Their mystery shooter was here and once again they were offering some support. Jason was getting annoyed by this, but at the same time his team and innocent hostages were being ambushed by forty combatants, he would take all the help he could get at this moment. Once they had a hole they were on the move.

“Bravo One to HAVOC. Our mystery shooter is here somewhere, see if you can track em.”

“Copy Bravo One.” Davis said.

Jason focused back on the mission and not on this mystery shooter. With any luck Davis would be able to find them and they would be able to get to the bottom of all of this once and for all. 

XXX

Clay had been laying there under the trees keeping watch over Bravo. He was back here with them, even after he had sworn to himself that he would stop this. He had promised himself that he would let this go and just allow Bravo to be on their own. They had survived without him this long, they didn’t need him. Yet, here he was again, laying low keeping watch over them as they went into a compound. Clay had no idea why they were here. He was never given any intel on their operations, nor would he ever ask for it. Clay knew it would be classified and he had no business learning about classified intel when he wasn’t sworn in. Clay was just going to watch and make sure they were ok, that was until he saw Bravo walking out of the compound with what appeared to be hostages they were rescuing. That wasn’t what had him on alert though, it was the group of forty enemy troops that were boxing them in. Bravo didn’t see them yet, because they weren’t close enough to them, but they were close enough for the tangos to start shooting. Clay knew he shouldn’t be getting involved, but he was reacting before his mind could even tell him not to. Clay shot one of the targets that were raising their gun and with his single shot that put Bravo on edge.

They all snapped their weapons up and started to fire while taking cover and protecting their hostages. Clay focused on the tangos that were further away and would cause them more difficulty to shoot them. Clay easily worked his way through the tangos, while Bravo took care of the immediate threats. Once they were done, Bravo started to quickly move their hostages away from the danger and off into the cover of the trees. Clay stayed where he was a bit longer, ensuring that no one was going to follow Bravo. When the coast was clear, Clay let out a sigh of relief knowing that Bravo, that his dad, was safe. He knew though each time he let his presence be known he was putting himself at risk of being caught. He wasn’t supposed to be seen, he wasn’t allowed. Clay knew if he got caught by Americans he would be on his own just like he always was if he was caught by another organization. He would have to try and figure out how to escape, something that wouldn’t be easy. Clay’s stat phone rang and he knew who would be calling him. He had his own operation to get to. Clay was just hoping it wasn't one that would take too long. 

XXX 

The guys all loaded up into the plane with the rescued scientists that they were sent to come in to save. They were all happy that the mission was completed and the scientists appeared to be ok. What was bothering them though were the additional shots fired by some mystery person once again. The sniper from last month’s operation could easily be explained away from the area they were in and with the man being a warlord. It made sense that he had a lot of people looking to eliminate him and would take advantage of the situation. However this time around, there wasn’t any reason for someone to be hiding in the shadows and joining in on the firefight this time around. Mandy took the scientists to get them situated as the guys went to work on removing their gear. Ray couldn’t help though but think back to other previous operations. So far twice some mystery person had jumped in on the fight. Now yes, it could be a coincidence, despite what Jason believes coincidences do exist. Still though, it was weird that twice within the past two months someone has been there when shit hit the fan. That seemed a little too coincidental to Ray. Ray thought back to past operations and he tried to see if there was a sign of someone else there. There had never been anything that made them all take notice, but when Ray thought about it there were times when tangos outside had been shot. They never thought anything of it, figuring that it was a friendly fire situation as the other tangos were shooting towards them. Now though, Ray was wondering if it was more than that.

“You know, thinking about it and looking back, this isn’t the first time someone else has fired shots for us.” Ray said, as he moved back over to the middle of the plane where the others were.

“Right last month.” Jason simply agreed.

“I mean besides that. I remember a few times where tangos outside were taken out. I didn’t think much of it though, figured they took a stray bullet from their friends while they were shooting towards us. But maybe it wasn’t.”

“I don’t know, think you might be reaching there Ray.” Sonny commented.

“He’s not. I was going to tell you guys. After this time around I decided to do some digging. It’s been happening for almost a year now. Tangos getting taken out while you guys are in a fire fight or when you guys are inside and about to get ambushed.” Davis said.

It had been weird for them and it was bothering Davis, because it shouldn’t be happening. The first time she didn’t think much of it, but then when she went back and started to search past operational reports, the pattern was pretty clear. There had to be someone else there helping the team, but who they were and why was completely unclear. 

“So we have a shadow?” Sonny asked, now confused about what this could mean for them.

“You think it’s the same person?” Jason asked.

He didn’t like this at all. He didn’t like that there seemed to be someone out there following them around. Yes, they were helping, but that didn’t mean they were truly helping them. They could be trying to get intel from Bravo or following Bravo to get them to lead this mystery person to someone. It was not a position that Jason was comfortable being in.

“I do. Now I can’t tell you why this is happening or why this person would be doing this. However, I think I know who it could be.” Davis started.

“How?” Blackburn asked.

“It was the sniper shot on the warlord. I ran it through a simulator based on your position, height, and bullet trajectory. The only way it works is if the shot came from a height of seven hundred and twelve feet, so a small mountain or a very large hill, at a distance of four thousand yards.”

“That’s impossible. No one can shoot that far from a height that high. Wind speed alone would be impossible to calculate. You would have to calculate wind speed, the velocity of the wind as the bullet traveled, plus gravity rate and the weight of the bullet. The wind would constantly keep changing with direction, it would be impossible to do it without using some type of smart bullet technology.” Ray instantly said.

All guns could only fire a maximum distance and even if it could fire a bullet four thousand yards away, it was designed for a straight flat shot. It wasn’t designed for the constant changes that the calculations would call for in order to make a kill shot. There was no way.

“The simulator is correct, I ran it multiple times. Based on my research there is only one known sniper within the world that could make that shot. They are known as The Ghost.” 

“Ok, and who is The Ghost?” Jason asked.

“No one knows. I only know about it through whispers and rumours from the old timers. They’ve mentioned it a few times about how one of their targets was just up and killed before they could get to em. No one has ever laid eyes on them. Male, female, old, young, fat, thin, literally no one knows. That’s where the name came from. This person just appears out of nowhere, takes the target out and then disappears without ever being seen or leaving a trace.” Davis answered.

“When Lisa told me about The Ghost’s possible involvement I did some quick research. Not much is known about The Ghost, even within the CIA’s database. But they do know this person has been around for roughly eight years. They eliminate major threats to the world, never anyone innocent. The Ghost is what is called a White Knight Assassin. Someone who eliminates high value targets that are a threat to humanity. Who The Ghost is getting hired by though isn’t something we have been able to figure out. However this person is getting their intel and payment for their service is completely unknown at this time. The Ghost is suspected to travel all over this half of the world, but never in North America, Australia and parts of Europe. The Ghost sticks with the most hostile areas. And so far the longest reported shot is just over four thousand yards away. The Ghost is labeled as the best sniper in the world.” Mandy said.

Sonny whistled to that before he spoke. “What makes This Ghost so special?”

“They would have to be a math genius. Someone that can do complex physics and calculations within their head at a moment’s notice. It’s incredibly impressive.” Ray said.

He had never heard of The Ghost, but it sounded like whoever this person was, was a good guy. They were going after high value targets that were causing harm to the world, in Ray’s book The Ghost was doing a good thing. Yes, it wasn’t what they were allowed to do, but he would be lying if he said there weren’t times he wished he could just eliminate the threat to stop their reign of terror instead of capturing them only for them to potentially get out and keep hurting people. 

“I don’t care how this person can make the shots. I care about who they are and why the hell are they following us.” Jason said.

That was his main concern and priority. He didn’t like the idea of some random assassin following them around, even if they were helping. There was no telling what this assassin could learn from their operations. Not to mention, they could be taken out by This Ghost. There was nothing stopping this assassin from taking a large payment to eliminate an American Tier One Seal team. 

“I’ll keep looking into it and see what I can dig up.” Mandy agreed.

“As for why Bravo, we might never know until we finally get to confront This Ghost.” Blackburn added.

“Is the CIA looking to capture them?” Trent asked.

“Not at this time no. They are more focused on the Black Knight Assassins, the ones that are going after the good guys. The Ghost is eliminating threats to this world, they aren’t in a hurry to catch whoever they are.” Mandy answered.

“Still don’t really like the idea that some sniper could pick us off on an op from four thousand yard away.” Sonny commented.

He knew this person was supposedly a good guy, but if they were one of the good guys, where were they hiding? Why not go into any military or agency and shoot for them? Why be in hiding and living this secret invisibile life? Sonny wasn’t trusting this person to not flip for a decent price and he didn’t like the idea of someone following them. Was this person following them while they were Stateside too? Sure they had no proof that this Ghost was ever in the United States, but that was because they hadn’t eliminated anyone that they knew of. That didn’t mean this person hadn't been in the country. For all they knew this person lived in the States. 

“Ya, I don’t either. We need more intel on this person. I’m not buying it that they are following us around out of the goodness of their heart. We’re not just suddenly going after the same targets. This person is following us and there had to be a reason for it. We need to know what that reason is.” Jason said.

Jason was really getting tired of this unknown grey area they all seemed to be living in now and he just wanted answers. He was not known for being patient when it came to waiting for answers. He had questions and he tended to expect that people had the answers for him and if not they would find them quickly. This time around it was taking a very long time, too long in Jason’s opinion, to get any intel on The Ghost that they didn’t already have. He couldn’t understand how someone could kill all of these people and yet no one has seen him or her. It made no logical sense to Jason and if it didn’t make any sense, then something wasn’t right. They were missing pieces, key pieces, and without those pieces they would never get any closure. 

“I will see what I can dig up on them, but don’t hold your breath there really isn’t much known.” Mandy advised. 

“For now, be careful and always pay attention to your surroundings, at least a bit more than you normally do. We’ll see what we can dig up on The Ghost.” Blackburn said.

“The Ghost did save your life last month Jase. Whoever it is, they can’t be all that bad.” Ray pointed out.

“And that would be a fair argument if it only happened once. The Ghost following us around, that can’t be for anything good. Something more is going on and we need to know what it is.” Jason counter.

“I agree with you on that.” Ray stated.

“We’ll figure it out.” Davis promised.

She knew it would be up to her and Mandy to try and dig out the truth. She was just hoping for the guys’ sake that they were able to figure all of this out and finally get some answers.

XXX

It was two weeks later when Bravo found themselves in a small rundown building in Liberia. They were sent here on a simple operation, to eliminate Mahu Koi, a man with known ties to a terrorist cell. He was the money man and had been funding the terrorist cell for over a dozen years. Typically they would try to capture him, however Koi was not stupid. He made sure that all of his dealings with the terrorist cell was done completely through a third party or through wire transfers. So Koi didn’t have any intel they could use to get out of him. He was using that as his safety net so he would never be captured by another organization. However, this time around it was backfiring on him because now the United States wanted him eliminated to stop the large amount of funding being provided to the terrorist cell that was killing American soldiers. 

Ray had been sitting there in a chair at a window for two days now. They were waiting for the shot to present itself, but so far the weather was not having any of it. There was a serious storm with high winds that were constantly changing directions so Ray hadn’t been able to take the shot yet. He only had one chance at it and if he missed their target would know that someone was trying to get him and he would go underground. 

“This is not working Jase.” Ray said, as he tried to work out the kinks in his body from sitting for so long.

“I know, but we just gotta wait the storm out. We can’t get into that compound without causing too much attention. A long distance shot is our best chance of getting the target.”

Jason knew this was not working for them. They had not expected a storm like this. It had been going for two days and they were all hoping it would stop soon. The sooner they could get their guy the sooner they could get the hell out of this place. Liberia was not a fun place to be even if you ignored the civil war that was constantly going on within the country. The guys had been running hard for the past two weeks and they were really looking forward to some downtime. Ray was looking through his scope to keep his eyes on the target. What he didn’t expect was for the target to suddenly get a bullet right through his head.

“Son of a bitch.” Ray growled.

“What?” Jason asked, as he stepped over and put the binoculars up to his eyes.

“Someone just killed our target.” Ray said.

“What? Someone in the room?” Sonny asked.

“Nope, shot came through the window. A sniper took him out.” Ray clarified. 

Ray was pissed that someone else had taken the shot. It wasn’t that the guy was dead, Ray didn’t care that someone else would get the credit. What he cared about was the fact that he had been sitting here for two days waiting for a shot and now it was all pointless. That was two days he could have spent with his family. It was a waste of time and Ray hated it when their time was wasted.

“Now what?” Sonny asked.

“Who do you think took the shot?” Trent asked, as well.

“In this weather and considering what has been happening recently. I think The Ghost is here and I think they took the shot.” Ray said.

“Bravo One to HAVOC, we got a problem.”

“Go ahead Bravo One.” Blackburn said.

“Target has been eliminated by another sniper. We suspect The Ghost is here. Can you get eyes on them?”

“We’ll look. Get back to HAVOC for now.”

“Copy.”

“This is getting to be a serious pain in the ass.” Sonny growled as he started to pack up.

“At first it was interesting, but now this is getting worrisome. If this is The Ghost, why the hell are they here?” Trent said, as he started to gather his gear as well.

“I don't know. We’re here and apparently so is him or her, whatever. Let’s get to exfil so we can get back to HAVOC and hopefully get eyes on this bastard.” Jason said and the guys could all tell he was pissed off. 

It was one thing to follow them around, but something completely different to now be showing up all the time and joining in on their operations. Jason had no idea what this person was doing, but it was time they put an end to it. They all gathered their gear as quickly as they could and headed out. It was a short ride back to where the hangar was and once there Jason spoke as they dropped their gear off.

“Anything?”

“Sort of. I found the perch and I was able to get a photo of The Ghost. It’s not a very good photo, we can’t make out the face or age, but we can clearly see The Ghost is male.” Davis answered.

“We have been tracking him with ISR, but so far he hasn’t gone anywhere special. He seems to be on the move still.” Mandy added.

“Perfect. We follow him and then we grab him.” Jason said.

This was exactly what he wanted and needed to hear today. They didn’t have much of a photo but it would be enough for them to pick him out in a crowd. They just had to follow him, and grab him up. Whether they let him go had yet to be seen. They didn’t have orders to capture him, but at the same time it would completely depend on The Ghost. If he was in a sharing mood with them and explained why he was following them. They might entertain letting him go.

“ISR is following at a safe distance. He shouldn’t be able to spot it with how high it is up.” Davis said.

“Do we have any additional Intel on The Ghost?” Ray asked Mandy.

“Nothing. We have all of the intel that the CIA has on The Ghost.” 

“Alright, get out of your gear and get into some civilian clothes. We can track The Ghost and you can move in on him. Bring him back here and we can interrogate him.” Blackburn ordered.

The guys all gave a nod and they all headed off to get changed out of their military clothes so they could blend in better. They would still stand out amongst the darker colored civilians, but they could pass for being tourists and not military. The guys were all amped up, because they were finally going to be able to be face to face with this Ghost person. They were finally going to be able to get answers out of him and they would be getting those answers if it was the last thing they did. They were done playing around. They were done playing whatever games he was. They were going to find out why he was following them and just what he was after. Once they had their answers, they would then decide what to do with him. They would either let him go and allow him to keep eliminating threats or they would drag him back to the states and hand him over to the CIA and allow them to deal with him. Either way it was ending today and that was the only reason they were all ready and willing to go back out into the storm. 


	3. Chapter 3

Clay couldn’t believe this was happening. He had always been careful, always. He knew better then to get close to people, he knew better then to hang around too long and yet he had made that foolish rookie mistake today. He just couldn’t help it, he wanted to see Jason again, he wanted to make sure he was ok. He knew he shouldn’t have taken that shot, that he should have waited for one of the guys to take it, but he also knew it was an incredibly hard shot and if they missed their target would go underground and they might never get another chance for him. It wasn’t a target Clay was given himself, but he was free to travel when he wasn’t on an assignment with the CIA. Clay spent most of his time traveling around following Bravo when he could and now he was running from them because they probably figured he was trying to kill them. Clay had no idea how he let this happen, he was smarter than this. His whole life he had been making himself invisible, hiding so no one could find him. If they couldn’t find you, they couldn’t hurt you. Now he needed to escape once again, because people weren’t supposed to know he existed. It was the rule that was laid out before him from the CIA, an assassin had to be invisible. 

Clay turned a corner and saw that some of the guys that he was running from were there. Clay saw that the one guy had 3B9 on his arm and the other two had a 4B9 and a 2B9. Clay instantly had the larger man, the one with 3B9, as the biggest threat so he went towards him first. Clay had learnt through life how to fight and he knew just what to do when it was him against someone larger as well as multiple people. Clay threw a punch before the man could even register it and he followed it up by another quick left hook. The man stumbled back and that was when Clay saw the other two running at him to help. Clay threw a punch at the second larger man as he kicked out at the smaller man. He easily took them down and then ran towards the end of the alley so he could go down another side street. Only before he got to the end of the alley the one person in the world that could have stopped him appeared before him, Jason Hayes.

Clay stopped running and slowly walked up to him. Clay didn’t know the man well enough to know if the look on his face meant he was pissed off or not. Clay had a feeling the harshness in his eyes meant he wasn’t too happy with the chase nor was he happy that he had taken out three of his guys. Clay could understand that. Clay let out a sigh as he removed his rifle from his back and held it out for Jason. He knew they were going to take him in and there was no way they were going to let him keep his gun. Jason easily took it, but he was slightly surprised that Clay was giving up so easily.

“Just like that?” Jason asked, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.

Before Clay could even say anything he was getting a hard punch to his jaw, causing Clay’s head to snap to the right and make him stumble, but he held his ground. Clay looked up and saw the man with 3B9 on his arm had been the one to hit him.

“I say we drag him in by his feet.” Sonny growled as he grabbed his flex cuffs and pulled Clay’s arms back.

“Calm down Sonny.” Jason said.

“I hope that isn’t too tight.” Sonny growled, as he made the flex cuffs go tight enough to cut off circulation.

Clay wasn’t bothered by the punch or the cuffs, he was used to being hit and restrained from growing up. It was nothing new to him. 

“Let’s go.” Jason ordered, as he handed Clay’s gun over to Ray.

They all followed Jason and Sonny had a rough hold on Clay’s arm that he was sure would be leaving a bruise. They all followed Jason back to where their vehicles were. Once there Clay was placed in the backseat with Sonny on his left and the other larger man he punched on his right. Jason was in the front seat with another smaller man driving with a 5B9 on his arm. The last man was behind him. Clay wondered who they all were. He knew the one next to him was Sonny, ironic considering he didn’t seem all that sunny. Clay knew they were all a part of Bravo, but he didn’t know their names. 

“You got a name kid?” Ray asked Clay.

Clay didn’t answer him though. Clay was trained to not talk when being taken captive, no matter what was done to him. He had endured torture, a car ride was far from anything that was going to break him. 

“My name is Ray, the guy to your left is Sonny, on your right is Trent, Brock is driving and the last guy is Jason. Now you know ours, what’s yours?” Ray tried.

He knew he shouldn’t be telling him their names, but he was so young. They all thought he would be in his forties, not in his twenties. Ray didn’t even think he was twenty-five. And he was thin, he didn’t look like he ate three meals a day. He was very tanned, he clearly spent a lot of time outside. His rifle was also high-end, just as good at their military rifles. He had gotten the money for this gun somehow and he must be getting paid for the hits he’s done, but it didn’t seem like his money was going towards food. Or clothing for that matter. The clothes he did have on were tan and had clearly been well worn if the rips in them were any indication. He also didn’t seem to own anything, but what he had on him. Ray had no idea who this kid was or how he got mixed up in this life, but as a father, part of his heart went out to him. He had clearly been living a hard life. 

“Maybe he doesn’t speak English.” Sonny said, when Clay didn’t speak once again.

Ray gave up trying to get Clay to talk and just sat back and waited until they would arrive at the hangar and maybe then they would be able to get more out of Clay. They arrived thirty minutes later and Clay took notice of each and every turn they made. He paid attention to all of the street signs, as few of them as there were. He also took notice of the obvious hiding places, but the ones that would be well hidden. His mind was trained to notice everything, to pick up on everything around him so he could use it to his advantage if he had to. When they pulled into the hangar, Clay took notice of the military plane outside and everyone within the hangar, one older man and two younger females. Once the vehicle stopped Clay was roughly pulled out by Sonny and walked over to the three people in the hangar.

“Did you search him?” Blackburn asked.

“No, just took his rifle.” Jason answered.

“Get him into interrogation, put real cuffs on him and search him.” Blackburn said.

“I think I’ll do a little strip search. Make you bend down and touch your toes.” Sonny said, with an evil grin.

“I’ll search him.” Ray said, as he took Clay away from Sonny.

The guys could think Clay was some evil person looking to harm them, but Ray wasn’t seeing it. He was a kid and so far all he had done was save their asses from a few fires. Hardly screamed, “I want to kill you.” Ray took Clay down the hallways and headed into the interrogation room they had set up.

“Look kid, I don’t know if you can understand me or not, I suspect you do. So play nice with me and just let me search you and get you sitting down without any problems. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

Clay didn’t say anything, but he also wasn't about to attack Ray either. He would wait and play this out. See what would happen before he made his move. He was patient, that is what made him so good at what he did. When Clay didn’t say anything Ray figured he would try his luck. He moved and started to pat down Clay for any additional weapons. He was surprised that there wasn’t another gun, but there was a knife tucked into the belt behind his back. Ray took it and placed it into his own pocket. He then started to lift Clay’s shirt up to see if he was hiding anything else. He was instantly shocked by the amount of scars that littered his back and front. There were everywhere, all at different stages of healing. Burn marks that scarred, lashes, cuts, bullet wounds. Ray took notice that there were some on his arms as well and he couldn’t help the hurt that went through him. As a father, this should never have happened to him.

“I’m sorry, none of this should have happened to you.” Ray said, not caring if Clay understood him or not. 

Clay didn’t say anything or react to Ray’s kind words. Clay had to admit though, he was confused why Ray would have such a hurt look in his eyes. It wasn’t like they knew each other, so why would his scars be an issue to Ray. Ray guided Clay over to the table and he cut the plastic flex cuffs and cuffed Clay to the top of the table. He then took his cell phone out and snapped a photo of Clay before he moved to his hands. Ray held open Clay’s hands to take a photo of his fingerprints, but he was shocked to discover he didn’t have any. Instead his fingers were scarred up, like someone had burned his prints away. 

“What happened?” Ray asked, hoping Clay would answer him this time.

All Clay did was pull his hands out of Ray’s loose grip and bring them as close to himself as the chain of the handcuffs would allow. Ray let out a soft sigh.

“Do you want a water?”

Clay didn’t say anything. He knew better than to take anything offered by someone. Ray gave a nod and headed out of the room, closing the door behind him. He dropped off Clay’s rifle in their temporary armory before he made his way back over to the others as he sent Davis the photo of Clay that he took.

“Davis, I sent you his photo, see if you can id him.” Ray said.

“He not sharing? I could go rough him up a bit.” Sonny said, with a smirk.

“Leave the kid alone Sonny.” Ray said, feeling protective of Clay.

“Really? He attacked us, he’s been following us and you have gone all soft for him.” Sonny said, not impressed.

“Ya he has been following us, but he’s also not killed us. Instead he saved our asses a few times. Doesn’t scream at me someone that is looking to take us out.” Ray argued.

“He still attacked us.” Sonny countered.

“Because we cornered him. If he is The Ghost, which I find very hard to believe he’s not even twenty-five, he probably thought we wanted to capture him and hurt him. Which so far we technically have. Of course he’s not gonna give anything up to us.”

“I’m not saying he is The Ghost and I’m not saying he’s looking to kill us. But we can’t have someone following us around. He could be picking up on classified intel from us somehow. Did you find anything?” Jason asked Ray.

It wasn’t that he thought Clay was a terrible person, he doubted he was The Ghost, but they needed to be careful. He couldn’t risk the lives of his guys for anything.

“I searched him, he only had this knife on him.” Ray said, as he took it out and placed it down as he continued. “I did lift his shirt, he’s covered in scars. Some from burns, lashes, cuts, stab wounds and gunshots. All of his fingerprints have been burned off with either fire or acid too.” 

“Holy shit.” Brock said, softly.

“Having your prints burned off isn’t something someone does to themselves. It’s excruciating pain not only while it is happening but while they heal. He’s about mid-twenties, Ray, how old did the scars look?” Trent asked.

“Some looked about twenty years old and others are still red. A bullet wound through his side looked maybe a month old.”

“He’s obviously been through hard times in his life.” Trent said.

“So what? I don’t get why you all seem to care so much. As far as we know, he was working for someone and recording all of our locations.” Sonny said.

“He might be, we’ll know more once we get an ID. Anything Davis?” Blackburn asked.

“Nothing. No driver’s license, no social media, not even a passport and yet he has to have one to fly everywhere. I can’t get anything, it’s like he doesn’t exist.” 

“You can’t get one photo of him?” Mandy asked, surprised. Normally someone always popped somewhere. Someone took a photo of themselves or a friend and you got hit in the background. It was virtually impossible to not be anywhere.

“Nothing. And with no fingerprints, how do we ID him if he’s not talking?” Davis asked.

“We get him to talk. Let’s leave him in there for a bit, sweat him out, maybe he’ll feel like chatting then.” Mandy answered.

“I’ll keep looking and see what I can find. Maybe there is something that we can use.” Davis said, as she sat down and got to work. 

“Let’s get cleaned up and eat something. He’s not going anywhere.” Jason said to his guys.

“We giving him anything? He’s pretty thin.” Ray said.

“No, not yet. Let’s make sure he’s not a threat to us first before we start playing nice.” Jason answered.

“You really think he’s a threat?” Trent asked.

“I don’t know what he is. He’s not exactly who I was expecting to find when we caught The Ghost. Maybe he’s The Ghost or maybe some kid with incredibly good aim. I don’t know right now. We need more intel and then we can talk with him and see if he’ll say anything.” 

The guys all agreed, but Ray and Trent weren’t too happy with Clay being in the room without any food or water, especially with how thin he was. Trent could see the signs of someone being malnourished. Clay was clearly not getting what he needed and the medic in him was not happy about it. He wanted to go and check Clay’s injuries himself. He wanted to make sure his bullet wound was healing, that he wasn’t in pain from it. He knew Jason wouldn’t allow it though and he understood that. He knew they had to make sure whoever Clay was, that he wasn’t a threat to them, that didn’t make it easier though. They guys all got showered, changed and ate something. They hung out and laid down and caught a bit of sleep for the next few hours while Davis worked her magic. It was four hours later when Davis called them all back into the room.

“What do you got?” Jason asked.

“No name still. We have no way of identifying him. We could try and take his DNA, but I highly doubt he is in a system anywhere if his face isn’t. So I went back and started to look through the data from you guys to see if there was a pattern or something that we missed. We know he’s been following you for a while, but we have no idea how long. I went back a year and found something interesting. So I haven’t been able to find an operation where The Ghost showed up. He’s never taken a shot until Alergia with the warlord. But a year ago there’s a hit in Jason’s personnel file from a lab in Peru. They picked up his DNA that is on file in the military.”

“Wait, what?” Jason asked, confused. How would a lab in another country even have his DNA to run to begin with. None of this was making sense.

“I can’t tell you why it was run, just that it was picked up in a DNA system. Someone would have to have been running a sample and it matched yours. Now, that doesn’t mean whoever is in the interrogation room did it, but it is one hell of a coincidence that your DNA is being run in another country.” 

“Was there a breach?” Blackburn asked, concerned for what this could mean for Jason and his kids.

“Nope. It was just a natural DNA test that is put through all of the databases. Jason’s was picked up from the military database. Now, like I said, it could be a cup left at a crime scene. It doesn’t mean someone went out of their way to get his DNA.” Davis explained.

“I’ve never been to Peru.” Jason easily stated.

“I know, I was using it as an example. My point, no one stole your DNA to run it. It was a match in a system to something else. It could have been one of those genetic testing sites like ancestry. You could have a twelfth cousin in Peru that signed up and your DNA is in a system so it pops for them. It doesn’t mean the kid in there did something for it. It just stood out.”

“Or it could be him. Time to talk to the little fucker.” Sonny said, not liking any of this.

“I’ll go see if he’s ready for a chat.” Mandy said, as she headed out.

Mandy made her way down the hallway and into the room. She was instantly shocked though to see that Clay was not sitting down handcuffed to the table where he was left. Instead he was leaning against the wall standing up. A quick look told her that the cuffs weren’t broken, but the lock had been picked. Which was impressive, because he shouldn’t have anything to pick them with.

“Impressive. You are the first person to get out of a set of cuffs around me. Why don’t we sit down and have a chat?” 

Mandy went over to the table, but she didn’t sit. She wasn’t going to until Clay did and so far he had no interest in moving.

“My name is Agent Ellis, don’t suppose you’d like to tell me your name?” Mandy tried, when Clay didn’t make a move.

She got nothing in return once again. “Look, I have plenty of ways to make you talk. You’ve been to a lot of places so you speak English. I would hate to have to hurt you to get you to finally speak to us, but I will if I have to. I don’t think you understand the seriousness of the situation you are in. We could have you thrown in jail for crimes against the welfare of the United States of America. You have been following a Tier One Seal team, that is serious. I can help you, but you have to talk to me.”

Clay wasn’t about to talk to her, he wasn’t stupid she was here to try and play him. He wasn’t going to let that happen. At the same time though, Jason was right here, right in his grasps. Something he had dreamt about since he was a little kid. He would dream for hours or days about his dad showing up and rescuing him from all of the pain. Clay knew he should be staying quiet, but he just wanted to see him. He just wanted one conversation with him, just one and then he would accept whatever fate had in store for him.

“Jason, I’ll only speak with him.” Clay simply said.

“And if doesn’t want to talk with you?” Mandy challenged.

Clay didn’t say anything to that and Mandy got her answer. She walked out, not even bothering with trying to get Clay back into cuffs. He got out of them once, he would do it again. Mandy walked back into the main hangar area and she could see the surprise on their faces.

“Damn, you broke him that fast.” Sonny said, impressed.

“Nope. He says he will only talk with Jason.”

“Why me?” 

“Maybe he’s a fan. He did stop running and fighting when you showed up in the alley. He handed over his gun to you without you even asking for it.” Ray pointed out.

“Great, so I have a stalker.” Jason said, not impressed by that option at all.

“Look, right now the only thing he has said since you caught him was he would only talk with you. If you want to know what he is doing following Bravo around, you’re gonna have to go in there and talk with him.” Mandy said.

“Alright fine, let’s go.” Jason said, he didn’t see the point in arguing. If this was the only way he would finally get answers then he would do it.

“Just you. He won’t talk if anyone else is in the room. He’s also not cuffed by the way.”

“You let him out?” Blackburn asked, surprised that Mandy would do something that reckless.

“Nope, I walked in and he was already out of them.”

“Nice searching Ray.” Sonny said, not impressed at all.

“There’s no way. I looked in every single pocket he had. There was no pick in them. He had nothing in any of his pockets. There’s no way.” Ray said.

“Well, he got out of them somehow.” Mandy said, as she held up her hands.

“Great.” Jason said, as he headed down the hallway.

Jason made his way down the hallway and used the short amount of time he had to get his thoughts and emotions in order. He had no idea what was going to happen on the other side of the door, but he was hoping he would finally get some answers. Jason walked in and saw that Clay was sitting on the floor in the far corner of the room with his legs up to his chest. Jason couldn’t help but think of a child trying to make themselves as small as possible. Jason closed the door and crossed his arms as he went and leaned against the wall across from Clay. 

“Alright I’m here, so talk.” Jason said, with an edge to his voice.

“I’m not good at that part.” Clay softly admitted.

“Talking?” Jason asked, confused.

“Conversation.” Clay corrected.

“Well, it’s pretty simple. One person says something and the other responds. Can’t have a conversation when the other doesn’t talk. You know my name, but I’m at a disadvantage, I don’t know yours.” Jason was hoping to get something they could use out of him, even if it was just a name that would go nowhere.

“Clay.”

“Clay what?”

“That’s complicated.”

“Last names don’t tend to be complicated. They are actually very simple.”

“Forty-five percent of the world’s population have difficult last names that most people can’t pronounce properly.” Clay simply said.

“I don’t care about the world’s population, I care about your last name. I’m pretty smart, I’m sure I can pronounce it.”

“That’s not why it’s complicated.”

“Look, you gotta give me something here or I’m just going to send you off to a black site where you can spend the rest of your life living in a hole. Stop playing around.”

Jason was not in the mood to be doing this. He just wanted to get this over and done with so they could get home. He needed to know what the hell this kid was doing following them around.

“I’m not playing. I’m just not allowed.” Clay simply said.

“You’re not allowed to tell me your last name?” Jason asked, looking for some clarity.

“I’m not allowed to tell anyone my name. Not allowed to be seen. I wasn’t allowed to follow you. I was told not to, but I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Anything could go wrong and when you were grabbed I knew none of your guys had an angle to make the shot. I couldn’t just let you die.”

“You made the right call by taking that shot. I am grateful that you did. Just like all the other times you helped me and my team. You said you weren’t allowed, who told you you couldn’t?”

“Not allowed to say.”

“Ok, what can you say?”

None of this was making any sense to Jason, but he was hoping to get something that would start to make sense to all of this. How did Clay know about them and why follow them? Who was this person that was telling Clay he couldn’t be seen by people or say anything to anyone? It made no sense. Clay was quiet for a moment. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be doing any of this, but he just wanted to talk with Jason. He wanted at least one conversation with his dad. He knew he wasn’t supposed to and he could be in trouble for this later on, but maybe if Jason knew the truth, then maybe he wouldn’t have a problem with him showing up to protect them whenever he could. 

“June 28th, 1996.” Clay stated.

“I’m not following the significance.”

“It’s my birthday. The man who signed my birth certificate wasn’t my actual father. He found out when my mother died when I was three. She had written a letter to my actual birth father apologising to him for lying. After discovering the truth he sent me to an orphanage in Liberia and I haven’t heard from him since I was nine when he told me he wasn’t my actual father, but he never told me my real dad’s name. My mother’s name was Mia Fuller.” 

“I knew her, we.” Jason stopped short and just looked at Clay.

It wasn’t possible, there was no way. It just wasn’t possible. 

“No, I don’t know what game you are playing, but it’s not funny. Mia Fuller was pregnant with my son, five months pregnant. She lost the baby while I was away on tour. I came back and he was buried. My son’s name is David Hayes and he’s dead. I lost him before I ever got to hold him. So whatever game you are playing right now it’s not funny. Knock it off.” Jason said with an edge to his voice.

“About a year ago I got curious. I just wanted to know where I came from, who I came from. So I did something I wasn’t allowed to do, I got a DNA testing kit and sent it into an ancestry website. First time I had used a computer. It matched to yours, thirteen DNA markers in common with yours. I can’t speak for her, for what decisions she made. I just know that you’re my father. I just wanted to see you, just once. I know I wasn’t allowed, but I just had to know what you looked like. So I asked about you and someone told me who you were, what you did. The first time I saw you it was a coincidence. I told myself it would be the last time, that it had to be the last time. But then I couldn’t stop thinking and wondering what you were doing, if you were still alive. So I started to follow you when I could. You weren’t supposed to see me. I’m not allowed to be seen.”

Jason didn’t know what to say to any of this, he didn’t know what to think or to feel about it. He was told that Mia had a miscarriage, that she had lost their son, that he was a stillborn. He had mourned the death of his firstborn child, of his son. He had visited a grave multiple times a year, left flowers, a gift on the day he was born every year. And now this complete stranger was telling him that he wasn’t dead, that he was supposedly sitting right here in front of him. This couldn’t be possible. It had to be some kind of trick, one Jason refused to believe. Jason reached into his back pouch where he kept a few medical supplies. He pulled out a swab that they used to clean wounds with as he spoke.

“You say you’re my son, the son that died, that I buried. Fine, prove it. Let me take a sample of your DNA and I’ll compare it to mine. If you’re not lying you have no reason to deny me this.”

Clay knew he wasn’t supposed to be doing this, that he shouldn’t be doing this. Jason running his DNA would come back with his full identity and just who he had been working for since he was eighteen. It would be opening a can of worms that Clay would never be able to close ever again. At the same time though, Jason thought he was dead. He didn’t know that was the reason why Jason hadn’t been in his life. He figured his mother just never told him. This man had grieved the loss of a child for twenty-four years, it wasn’t fair to leave him with the loss any longer. To leave him constantly questioning what was real and what wasn’t. Clay just gave a small nod and Jason walked over to him, bent down as he spoke.

“Open.”

Clay opened his mouth and Jason ran the swab over his inner cheek a few times before he stepped back and headed out of the room. Clay was just hoping that Jason would be able to accept the results and would forgive him for what he was about to do. 

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clean version can be found on my Fanfiction account!
> 
> Sexual Content Warning!

Jason made his way down the hallway with the swab in his hand. His mind was still refusing to believe what Clay was saying. He wasn’t his son. Him and Mia had dated while him and Alana were broken up, one of the many times they broke up over the years before they finally figured out how to balance a life together and him being in the Seals. Him and Mia weren’t together all that long and the months leading up to her pregnancy that they were together for, weren’t good ones. Mia had a love for Seals and she was often switching between them. She also had a love for lying and cocaine. She was a party girl and at the time Jason had loved it. He never did drugs, but he was always up for a good party. That was back in his young stage of life where he had no responsibilities and could just do whatever he wanted. He would go on ops and then hang with the guys at the bars and clubs. His party ways were one of the reasons why Alana had said enough was enough. She was ready to settle down and the thought of doing that to Jason was very unappealing to him. 

It all changed though when Mia handed him a pregnancy test stick and he saw that she was pregnant. He knew they had been having unprotected sex on more than one occasion when they were too drunk to care. She hadn’t been with anyone else during the time they were together so he knew the child was his. Mia had said she didn’t know what to do and for a moment Jason thought about an abortion. That there was no way in hell he was going to be able to be a father. What surprised him though was the pain that went through his heart at the thought of having an abortion. Jason couldn’t explain it, but he was excited to be having a child. He never thought he would want to have children, to be a father, and yet in that moment he wanted nothing more. They had agreed to keep the baby and from that point forward Jason didn’t party, he didn’t drink. He saved all of his money that he could so he would be able to afford to purchase what they needed for a nursery. He did what every soon to be father was supposed to do. He had been away on a tour when the tragedy happened. He left as an expecting parent and when he came back his son was buried. Mia didn’t even call to tell him there had been a complication with the pregnancy and she went into early labour. An early labour that the doctors couldn’t stop. The baby was born a stillborn and had been buried. She had named him after his father like Jason wanted and that was the last time he heard from Mia.

Now here he was twenty-four years later still grieving the loss of his first born and some kid wanted to play games with him. Jason wasn’t going to tolerate it and when this DNA test came back negative he was going into that room with no more kid gloves. He didn’t care what he had to do; he was going to be getting the truth out of Clay. 

“I need you to run this DNA.” Jason said, as he handed the swab to Davis.

They had a portable DNA testing device, every Tier One team did. A recovery mission wasn’t always to recover an identifiable person, sometimes you had to rely on a DNA match to ensure you were bringing the right target home. The DNA device allowed you to take a sample of someone’s DNA and run it through the system to get their identity. It would give you the DNA markers as well so you could compare it to someone else on a computer. Davis took it and started the process.

“What did he say?” Mandy asked.

“He told me his name was Clay, but he wasn’t allowed to give me his last name.”

“And that is what has you so upset?” Ray asked, confused.

“He said he was my son.” Jason said, as he looked right at Ray.

“Wait, what?” Sonny asked, shocked.

“Your son, as in the son that died?” Ray asked, looking for clarification.

“Ya. He said that his mother Mia Fuller, had some other guy believing he was his son and that guy signed the birth certificate. Found out when she died when Clay was three that he wasn’t his father from a letter that Mia wrote to the kid’s real father. He was then shipped off to an orphanage in Liberia.” Jason explained.

“How did he find you?” Blackburn asked.

“Said a year ago he got curious and broke a rule. He ran his DNA through ancestry and it matched to me. Thirteen DNA markers in common. He found information out on me from someone and was going to leave it at that. But roughly a year ago we were in the same place at the same time and he couldn’t help himself, he just wanted to see me. After that he followed us when he could, never really intervening unless he had to.”

“And you believe him?” Sonny asked, because it sounded like a load of horse shit.

The guys all knew that Jason had lost a son five years before Emma was born. They had seen him struggling with the loss on the date where his son was born. They knew he still placed flowers down at the grave every week and he still visited him every time he left for tour and when he came back. It was a death that would haunt Jason for the rest of his life, just as it would every other parent.

“No I don’t. He’s playing some kind of a game and I want to know what it is. Once I have the proof that he is not my son I will go back in there and get the truth out of him.”

“How long for the DNA test?” Ray asked Davis.

“Not long. The results are generating now.” Davis said from her computer. “Huh, his DNA is in the system.”

“Really? I thought you said it wouldn’t be.” Trent said.

“I didn’t think it would be with his photo not being anywhere. I don’t have a high enough clearance to access it though.”

“Let me.” Blackburn said, as he went over to the laptop. He typed in his information, but again was met with access denied.

“I’ll try.” Mandy said. Working with the CIA gave her different security clearance. After a second the screen loaded and Mandy started to read it. “Ok his name is Clay Spenser. Birth certificate shows his mother as Mia Fuller and father as Ash Spenser.”

“Of course he’s that asshole’s son.” Sonny said

“Why is his file so classified though?” Ray asked.

“Because he’s CIA.” Mandy stated, just as surprised as the rest of them.

“What?” Jason asked, shocked. He wasn’t expecting that curveball.

“Was signed at eighteen by Agent Damon Moore. According to the notes he had been grooming Clay since he was sixteen for his sniper skills. At eighteen he was signed as an assassin and has been working for them for six years now travelling all over the world eliminating deadly targets. From what Moore was able to piece together of his life, he’s been living in Africa since he was three and was passed around between orphanages and homelessness. According to this at twelve Clay was found by an assassin who used to work for the South African Army. Apparently the assassin taught Clay a few things and by the age of sixteen he was on his own eliminating dangerous rebels. He also speaks twenty languages.”

“So abandoned in a war zone at the age of three, then raised by an assassin only to become one before he’s even legally old enough to have a gun. That’s just great.” Ray said, as he shook his head.

“The CIA finds assets all over the place that come from all different walks of life. Based on the shooting skills we have seen so far, Clay has a natural talent. File shows a genius level IQ. He’s The Ghost.” Mandy stated.

“He said he wasn’t allowed to be seen though. If he’s been doing this since he was eighteen, what the hell does that mean for his life so far?” Jason couldn’t help but ask.

“It wouldn’t be an easy one. Assassins are kept hidden, but it seems like Clay has been kept even more hidden. There’s no cell phone number, no address, no driver’s license. He has no home, no phone, no way of going anywhere without Moore’s permission. File shows a satellite phone, which would be his only way of communication with Moore. He’s got no family, no friends, no social interaction. It’s some of the main rules for a hidden sniper within the CIA. You have to be no one. It’s a hard life to live, especially at a young age.” Mandy said.

“Whoa.” Davis said, shocked as she looked at her laptop. “DNA comparison to Jason’s just came back. It’s a match. He’s your son.” Davis said, as she turned to look at Jason.

Instantly Jason’s stomach was in his throat. There was no way, there just couldn’t be any way this was possible, that this was happening. He had buried his son. He had mourned him. He couldn’t be alive. He couldn’t be that kid sitting all alone in the interrogation room. He just couldn’t be.

“It’s not possible.” Jason said, softly.

“I’m sorry Jase, but the DNA doesn’t lie. He’s your son.” Davis said with a great deal of sympathy in her voice.

They all knew how hard this would be to hear. It wasn’t like Clay lived in a house with a white picket fence and went off to college and was a doctor or a lawyer. He didn’t have a childhood filled with loving parents. He had a childhood living in a warzone, being trained to kill people possibly as young as twelve years old. He had scars all over his body that showed just what type of life he had been living. In this case it would have been better if Jason’s son had been dead this whole time, it would have been a more peaceful life for the child.

Jason knew he should be relieved, but all he could feel was guilt. This heavy, unbearable guilt in the pit of his stomach. His son, first first born, was still alive and had been through abuse and torture, all the while Jason had been living his life not even knowing he existed. Jason couldn’t help but wonder what had gone through Clay’s head when he was whipped, shot, stabbed, burned, cut, was he scared? Did he cry? Was he calling out for someone to help him? How many times had he been a scared little boy just wishing his parents would show up and save him? The guilt was enough to drown him. There was also a deep rage filling inside of him at Ash Spenser. Clay had said Ash discovered the truth after Mia died from a letter she would have written to him. He could have handed Clay over to him, but instead he shipped him off to Africa. He had known this whole time that Clay was his and he chose to keep his mouth shut and let him continue to grieve the loss of a child. He continued to force Clay to go through this life all alone. Ash would be getting everything he deserved, Jason was going to make sure of it.

“He’s coming back with us.” Jason finally said.

“It’s not that simple Jason with him being in the CIA.” Mandy started, but Jason cut her off.

“I don’t give a fuck who he works for. That is my son. I’m not leaving him here.” Jason roared.

Jason didn’t care what he had to do, he was not about to leave his son behind again. That wasn’t happening.

“I’m not saying you leave him behind. I’m just saying it’s not going to be that simple. I would need to review his contract and the terms that he signed. He might need a lawyer to get him out of it. You need to be prepared for a potential fight ahead.” Mandy clarified.

“And that is just careerwise. He’s clearly been abused and tortured, there’s mental and emotional scars from that. He is also malnourished, so he’s not able to get the food he needs. We also have no idea what the condition of his home is or where he has been staying.” Trent added.

“I know it won’t be simple, but I’m not giving up on him. He’s my son. He’s coming home.” Jason said, with a strength to his voice.

“Why don’t you go and get him and we can all chat.” Blackburn suggested.

Jason gave a nod and headed down the hallway. It was surreal to him that he was going to get to see his son. He just wanted to hug him. To let him know it would all be ok now. He would keep him safe and they would figure everything out. Jason had failed him for the past twenty-four years, he wasn’t going to fail him anymore. Jason opened the door and instantly his heart sank. Clay was gone. Jason had no idea how the hell he had gotten out, but he was gone. Jason ran back down the hallway as he spoke.

“He’s gone.” 

“Gone? What do you mean gone?” Ray asked, as the guys started to head down the hallway.

“He’s not in the room.” Jason said.

“The door locks from the outside. It can’t be opened from the inside.” Ray said, as they walked into the room.

“He got out of cuffs, he apparently can get out of locked rooms. He couldn’t have gotten far.” Trent said.

“His gun is in the armory.” Ray said.

The guys all ran down the hall further to where their temporary makeshift armory was. They walked in and they instantly saw that Clay’s rifle was no longer on the table. 

“His gun is gone.” Ray stated.

“Check everything else, let’s make sure he didn’t leave with government property.” Jason said.

The guys did a quick inventory and found that there was only a knife missing. Everything else, including ammo, was all accounted for.

“He only took my knife.” Sonny saidm confused.

“Ray had Clay’s knife with all of us. He took a replacement for it.” Trent said.

“Why only a knife?” Brock asked the question they were all thinking.

“He’s malnourished, no phone, no home address. He’s probably living rough. It would explain his clothes and his appearance. Rifle for hunting, but he would need a knife to skin and get the meat.” Trent said.

“He couldn’t get his knife, so he took one. He needs one to survive.” Ray said, with understanding in his voice.

“Cerb can track him.” Brock said, as he headed out to grab Cerberus and took him back into the interrogation room.

Brock got Cerberus to smell the chair and handcuffs, something that would have Clay’s scent on it and with that they were off. Cerberus went down the hallway to the armory and then continued on down the hallway out the back of the hangar. The guys all followed and ran after Cerberus as he ran down the road. Thankfully it had stopped storming so the rain wouldn’t wash Clay’s scent away. They didn’t think Clay would have gotten very far. It had been less than an hour since Jason left the room, even if he left right away he was only an hour ahead of them. All of the vehicles were still here, so it wasn’t like Clay stole a truck. It was isolated in their area so the odds of someone driving by and giving him a ride were slim to none. Chances were Clay wouldn’t accept one either. They ran for a good thirty minutes following Cerberus as he was on Clay’s scent. They approached a river and that was when Cerberus went around in a circle, losing the scent.

“What happened?” Jason asked.

“He ran into the river. Cerb can’t track him. We’ve lost the trail.” Brock said, not happy about this at all.

“He must have figured we would use Cerb to track him.” Trent said.

“I’ll call Davis, see if she can pick him up.” Ray said, as he pulled out his cell phone.

“Fuck!” Jason yelled, as he turned to start making the walk back.

He couldn’t believe this was happening. He had just found out his oldest son was alive and now he just lost him. Clay was trained to hide and to go unnoticed. It could be months before they found him again. The guys all made their way back to the hangar and when they got there Davis spoke.

“I can’t find him. He could have ducked under somewhere and is waiting it out. There’s no trace of him in the area.” 

“He’s hiding somewhere. Now what?” Ray asked.

“Just got the call, we’re being spun up and sent to help Alpha team with an op. We’re expecting to be meeting up with them ASAP.” Blackburn said.

“We can’t just leave. He’s here, we know he is. This might be our last chance for months to get him.” Sonny said.

“I know and I’m sorry. Alpha needs backup and Bravo is the closest to them. We’ll keep looking for him from HAVOC. If we find a location for him we can come back and grab him. I’m sorry Jason, but for now we have to go.” 

Blackburn wished they could have stayed and continued to search for Clay, but they had a duty to their country and to the other teams in DEVGRU. Alpha needed the support of another team and with Bravo already being in Africa they were the closest to them. They would keep searching for Clay though. He was not about to let Jason’s son be out there all on his own. They would find him and they would bring him home. Mandy would work the CIA handler and try to gather more intel. They weren’t giving up and they never would.

Jason let out a sigh. The very last thing he wanted to do was to leave Clay, leave his son. But he couldn’t turn his back on Alpha either. They were his brothers and if they needed help then they would go and help them. They would find Clay, he wasn't going to give him up. Not now, not ever.

“Start getting ready.” Jason said.

“Jase, seriously?” Sonny said.

“We don’t have a choice. Alpha needs us and we can’t turn out backs on them. We’ll keep looking, we’ll find him.” Jason promised.

The guys gave a nod and they all started the process of getting the gear closed down and getting the plane ready. They would find Clay, they would find his son and then he was never going to let him go.

XXX

Clay waited until he saw the plane fly away and then waited a good hour to ensure no one was left behind before he got out of his hiding spot. He hated that he had to leave. That he had to drop this on Jason and then disappear, but he knew he couldn’t stay. He wasn’t allowed to be seen and he wasn’t allowed to be around Jason. Damon had made it very clear on multiple occasions that he could not be seen by Jason or anyone in the Navy. It was one of the rules he had agreed to follow. At the time Clay didn’t think anything of it. It didn’t matter to him if he had to stay away from people and be invisible all the time. He was already doing it. He was already sleeping in caves or in holes large enough for him to fit. He had been doing it since he was twelve. Not interacting with people wasn’t an issue for him and he never expected to want to be interacting with someone. 

Clay wasn’t really sure why he was so interested in finding out who his parents were. He just wanted to know so he had it for his own personal mental record. He never expected to discover his father was a Seal. Clay had slowly become obsessed with Jason and Bravo. He was always thinking about them and when he had the chance he was meeting them, even if they didn’t know it. Clay knew he had to stop, that he couldn’t keep doing this. He had to make this all stop. He had to do what he was told and stay away from them. Jason knew the truth now. Clay had been able to meet with him and gotten to have a conversation with him, which was more than he ever expected. He had to leave it as this. This one time meeting had to be enough. 

Clay got up and started to make the journey back into the city area. He had left his stat phone behind when Bravo was chasing him. He didn’t want anyone being able to track him or getting the only phone number programmed into it. He had a good couple of hours walk ahead of him, but it was worth it in order to keep his job a secret. Once Clay arrived back in one of the side allies he went over and grabbed his phone that was hidden behind some bricks. Clay saw that he had a missed call and he called Damon back and he continued to move off into the shadows as the sun was starting to set.

“Where have you been? I called you three hours ago.” Damon demanded, without even saying hello.

“I’m sorry, I was being chased by Bravo. I had to lay low.”

Damon let out a sigh. “How many times have I told you to stay away from them?” 

Clay recognized the snap to Damon’s voice and Clay internally whimpered at it. “I know, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I promise.”

“I don’t want to hear empty promises. This is your last warning, I mean it. I’m sending you a location, get your ass to it. I’ll be there with the plane to take you to your next operation.”

“Yes Sir.”

“This conversation isn’t over either.” Damon warned as he ended the call.

Clay knew he was going to be in trouble, but he also knew it was worth it this time around. He would make it up to Damon. He was sixteen when he first met Damon and at the time he had no idea who he was or why he seemed to be interested in him. Clay had been on his own since Shadow had disappeared when he was sixteen. Clay had been helping to eliminate dangerous threats to innocent people when Damon had appeared. Clay didn’t have friends growing up. He didn’t speak the languages, he didn’t fit in with anyone on account he was white and not black. Clay had also learnt that most of the other kids would die in the rebel raids so there was no point in getting to know someone just for them to die. 

Damon had spoken with him, told him he worked for the CIA and had told Clay that he had been watching him for a while. That he wanted to sign him to the CIA once he turned eighteen. It sounded like a dream to Clay. His young mind couldn’t help but think about the house he could be living in with money from the CIA. What food he would get to eat and to try. He had heard whispers from people about chocolate and ice cream. How houses in first world countries had stoves and televisions that played shows and movies. It all sounded so fascinating to him and he loved the idea of being able to travel all over the world. Damon had made it sound so glamorous, that to a sixteen year old who had lived in slums or outside his whole life, it sounded like the best thing in the world. In reality though he was still eating only what he could catch and sleeping outside no matter the weather and Country he was in. 

There was one constant though in his life, Damon. Looking back, Clay couldn’t tell you how it happened. One night he was sixteen and him and Damon were talking. The next Damon was kissing him and they were having sex. It was the first time Clay had ever been kissed, had ever done anything sexual. At the time it felt good, and it did feel good every time after that. Him and Damon had been hooking up for eight years now. Damon told him he loved him, that one day they could get married and be together. To finally have a home together where Clay could go to school if he wanted to. Adopt a dog together. It sounded perfect to Clay, especially because he didn’t have a family growing up. He didn’t have people he could rely on or trust. All he had was Damon and Clay was determined to keep him and be perfect for him. It was why he always did what he was told, what Damon told him to do. The only time he didn’t was when it involved Bravo and Clay knew he had to stop. He couldn’t risk losing Damon. There was no telling how Jason would react to the news. Yes he sounded like he was hurt by the supposed death of his son, but him being alive wouldn’t magically change things, at least Clay didn’t think it would. It had been twenty-four years and if life had taught Clay anything, it was that people didn’t go out of their way for others. No one was coming to his rescue, he had to do that himself. It’s why he taught himself how to escape handcuffs and locked rooms. He had to rely on his own skills to survive so he always made sure. He learnt how to pick locks when he was in populated areas and at night when everyone was gone, he would break into a library to read. It’s how he learnt so many languages. Clay loved to read and when he finally had a home, he was going to be having his own library so he could spend as long as he wants reading. 

Clay finally arrived at the plane location. The plane was already here so Clay went over and went up the stairs. Damon always used a small plane for them so it was just the two of them and the pilots. Clay walked in and put his things down on one of the couches on the plane. He saw Damon sitting down on the other in a suit. Damon nodded to the couch where Clay just put his things down and Clay sat down on the ground like he was supposed to. He could tell Damon was still upset with him, not that Clay could blame him. He had been told numerous times to let it go. Damon would be furious if he discovered that he had actually told Jason he was his father.

“Damon.” Clay started, but Damon cut him off with a sharp voice.

“Don’t talk.”

Clay stayed quiet like he was told. He knew better then to anger Damon even further then he already was. Clay sat there as the plane got ready for takeoff and for take off. He continued to sit there in silence until Damon was ready to talk to him. He knew when Damon was mad, it was best to just do as he was told and allowed Damon the time to cool off. After a good hour Damon finally broke the nerve wrecking silence.

“You are going to Peru. There is a drug lord that is providing funds to a terrorist cell in Afghanistan. I have a file on him that you can read. Right now he moves around the country so you could be there for a while. I have extra ammo for you.”

“Yes Sir. I’ll get him.” Clay promised, hoping it would make Damon a bit less angry.

He wasn’t looking forward to being stuck in Peru for a long time potentially, but that would give him the chance to forget about Jason and move forward. To get back to who he was supposed to be. Who Damon wanted him to be.

“I plan on keeping you busy. Get your damn head out of the clouds and back to being focused. No more talking about Jason Hayes or Bravo. I don’t want to catch you again around them. Do I make myself clear?” Damon demanded.

“Yes Sir. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. I know I can’t keep going to see them. It’s too risky and foolish. I’ll stop and go back to being focused on the job.”

“I’m trying to convince my Deputy Director that you would be more of an asset in an office then out in the field all the time. I’m trying to do everything I can to make sure you get to come home with me one day. This Bravo bullshit is jeopardizing our dream. Unless that is your goal. You don’t love me anymore?” Damon said, twisting Clay’s emotions around on him. 

“Of course I love you. You’re all I have Damon, I just want to make you happy. I’m sorry I’ve been stupid, I want to be able to come home with you. I want a home with you. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make that happen.”

Clay wanted so desperately to know what it felt like to have a home. To have a place where he could belong to someone. To have a place in the world. To grow a family and maybe make a friend. He wanted to feel safe and loved, just once in his life. 

“You can start to make it up to me now.” Damon said, as he started to undo his pants. “You know how I like it.”

“Yes Sir.”

Clay said, as he crawled over to Damon.

**(Clean Version Can Be Found On Me Fanfiction Account)**

Damon was already hard and once Clay was close enough he grabbed a chunk of Clay’s hair and pulled his head down on his cock. He pushed Clay’s head down all the way until his tip was in the back of Clay’s throat. Damon moaned as he pushed his cock even further down Clay’s throat. He loved being rough and he loved being in control. He normally had partners that refused to allow him to do whatever he wanted, but Clay was easy to manipulate and control. Damon took full control of Clay’s head and Clay easily gave up his control. Damon was rough, he was always rough, but Clat didn't know any differently. Damon had always been rough with him and Clay just assumed that was how it worked. Sometimes it hurt, but Clay figured it was normal. 

“That’s it, take my cock. You’re such a whore. You love having a cock down your throat.” Damon groaned, as he pushed Clay’s head even faster as he felt himself getting close.

Damon was always talking like that with Clay. Clay wasn’t too sure he liked it. It didn’t turn him on like it did Damon. Damon enjoyed it though and Clay wanted to please him and make sure Damon had pleasure from their time together. Clay could feel Damon getting harder and he knew Damon was very close. After a few more thrusts Damon was giving a deep moan and cum was shooting down his throat. At first Clay used to choke whenever Damon came in his mouth, but they had a lot of practice with this and now Clay could take all of Damon’s cock in his mouth and swallow his cum. Damon didn’t let Clay’s head up though, not that Clay expected it.

“Get me hard again so I can fuck you. You have a lot of making up to do. I’m gonna pound your ass the whole flight there. You’re going to be walking off this plane with my cum dripping out of your ass.”

Clay gave a moan, knowing that it was what Damon wanted to hear. Clay never thought about how he tended to fake his moans. In the beginning it felt good and he didn’t have to, but within that past six or seven years now the moans tended to be just for Damon’s own pleasure. Clay didn’t mind though because it made Damon happy and Clay wanted to make him happy. If having rough sex or a lot of sex made Damon happy, then Clay was happy to do that. He wanted Damon to be happy and he didn’t want Damon mad at him. He would make Damon happy and he would make sure Damon knew he was sorry and loyal only to him. 

XXX

It was a week later when Bravo was making their way into their war room. They had finished helping Alpha with their operation, but by the end they still had no intel on Clay’s location. They had no choice, but to return home and try to continue their search for him from here. Mandy had been able to get a hold of Agent Moore and he would be who they were speaking with in their war room. They all could tell the second when they walked in that Agent Moore was not pleased to be there or to see them. He was a larger man, around Trent’s size. He was in his early forties and from what Mandy had gathered he was one of the best that the CIA had for a recruiter and handler. Mandy though advised he seemed too good to be true and when that happened he was normally doing something shady. He never got caught though, because you would never expect him to do something shady. None of the guys liked him, not even a little bit. 

“Gentlemen, why am I here?” Damon asked, not even bothering with covering up his annoyance.

“Clay Spenser.” Jason started.

“Who?” Damon asked. 

“Don’t even try it. We already know you signed him to the CIA as an assassin when he was eighteen. You started to groom him when he was sixteen. We’ve read his file. And I know that you know I am his father. What I’m not sure of is how long you’ve known the truth and have kept it from not only him, but me as well.” 

Jason was not in the mood to play around with this. This was too important and there was no way in hell that he was going to let Damon play dumb. Damon was not impressed. He had no idea that Clay had spoken with Bravo. From what he had been told by Clay, he had only watched them from a safe distance. He would have to correct this error and make sure Clay paid for it. Damon was so close to his promotion to a deputy director, he was not about to lose it all now.

“The intel on my Agent is classified. I have no legal obligation to report anything to you. If you brought me here to complain about how I do my job, you can take it up to the Deputy Director.”

“Seriously? That’s all you have to say?” Jason said, pissed off that Damon didn’t seem to care at all.

“Agent Moore, you must know how dangerous it is to have someone that young working as an assassin.” Mandy tried.

“He’s been doing it for years before he signed. And when it comes to being an assassin, the CIA couldn’t ignore his skills. He has the best shot in the world. He’s made kill shots from four thousand yards away. He’s the best and someone the CIA is not looking to give up.”

“Not to mention the rewards you get for signing him and keeping him. Every year you would get a bonus. The more kills he makes, the more money you get.” Mandy said 

“Every job has perks.” Damon said with a smirk.

He made a lot of extra money from the kills that Clay was making. It’s why he sent Clay after the highest value targets that the CIA had been waiting a long time to get. They were the most dangerous, Clay’s body proved it as he had been captured on numerous occasions. Still, Clay was always eager to please his loving boyfriend, so he got it done. The guys were all disgusted by it. To think that a CIA Agent was using a young man just so he could make more money. There was no telling what dangers Clay was placed in just so Damon could make an extra buck.

“I want a meeting with him.” Jason demanded.

“No.” Damon simply said.

“I wasn’t asking.” Jason said with an edge.

“You don’t get to demand anything of me. Agent Spenser needs his head in the game if he is going to survive the operations he is sent on. Ever since he found out about you and your team, he hasn’t been as good. He gets his kills, but it takes him longer. He’s so busy thinking about you that he puts himself at risk. You can’t get money from a dead Agent. He’s agreed to leave you alone and to get back to what he does best. I highly suggest you do the same.”

“He’s my son.” Jason growled.

“That you thought was dead for the past twenty-four years. He’s a stranger, you don’t know him and he doesn’t know you. Finding out he isn’t dead, doesn’t change that you don’t need him in your life. He doesn’t need you in his. He has me and I’m the only person he needs. We’re done here. Leave my agent alone or I’ll have you all up on charges.” Damon said with a smirk before he turned and headed out of the room.

“I hate that guy.” Sonny growled once Damon was out of the room.

“Could he really bring charges against us?” Trent asked Mandy.

“Not technically no. He can make a lot of waves and be a big pain in the ass.” Mandy answered.

“Does he really make a bonus for the kills that Clay makes?” Ray asked.

“He does yes. Each target has a bounty on their head, sometimes it’s from the Government or from another country that is looking to resolve the problem. Twenty percent goes to the handler, the rest is automatically deposited into the assassin’s bank account by the CIA. I’d imagine Clay has a lot of money in his bank account, though it doesn’t seem like he is doing anything with it. No apartment, no house, nothing.” Mandy answered.

“Maybe Damon isn’t allowing him to have access to it. Or Clay is manipulated and brainwashed into doing whatever Damon wants. It wouldn’t be the first time an older man was able to manipulate a child. He could have made Clay believe being in the CIA was the answer to his problems. Probably told him he would be a spy of some sorts and could have all these amazing things.” Blackburn said.

“Gets him to sign and then controls his every move. I’d have to imagine if Clay wanted to, he could switch his handler right?” Ray asked.

“He would be able to, yes. Especially if he is considered a high value asset to the CIA. Clay would be able to demand almost anything and they would give it to him just to keep him.” Mandy answered.

“That’s good though, that works in our favor. We could get him moved to another area in the CIA, get him away from being an assassin.” Sonny said, trying to think of how they would get Clay out of the life he was in. He couldn’t be an assassin, it was too dangerous to him physically and mentally. 

“We could. He knows twenty languages, so he could easily work in another department.” Mandy agreed.

“We need to find him first. I don’t like this Agent Moore. I don’t like the control he has over Clay. It’s too easy for him to manipulate and control Clay. Make him feel like he doesn’t have anyone else in this world. He wants Clay for himself and for his career. He won’t care what happens to him, that much has been made very clear.” Jason said.

“It’s not just the hits that Clay is doing. The higher value the target is, the more security they have. Some of those scars are from growing up, but the majority of them would be from operations. He knows how to escape handcuffs and a locked room, he didn’t learn that from a book. That’s life experience. He learnt that from being captured. He’s getting the targets, but paying for it dearly.” Mandy advised.

“So we get him out. How do we find him?” Sonny asked, not liking that Clay, Jason’s son, was out there all on his own.

“I’ll try and track his operations, see if I can find where he is. Agent Moore though doesn’t have to file an operation though for an assassination until it has been completed.” Mandy offered.

“And we will keep looking for any trace of The Ghost. Same as when you are on an operation, though Agent Moore sounded pretty confident that Clay wouldn’t be following you anymore.” Davis said.

“He can be as confident as he wants, he’ll be there if he can. He’s figured out how to track us somehow, he’s not going to just stop now. He wanted to find me, he wanted me to know about him, to have a conversation with me. He’s not just going to stop now.” Jason said, confidently.

“I agree with Jase. It’s human nature to want to know your parents, especially a father for a son. He probably made up this whole alternative universe when he was younger about having a loving father. It’s something he’s wanted probably his whole life. He’s not walking away, not when he knows who you are and you now know the truth. He’ll be back, I doubt he’ll make contact, but he’ll be watching and keeping an eye out. We just have to be ready for it.” Ray agreed.

“And we will be. We can have ISR follow him once he makes his presence known. We will get him.” Blackburn said, before looking directly at Jason. “I promise, we will bring your son home.”

“I know we will. And once he is, I’ll make sure Agent Moore doesn’t go anywhere near him ever again.”

Jason wasn’t about to let his son continue to be manipulated by anyone, especially someone that was supposed to have his best interests at heart, someone that was supposed to look out for him. He would find his son and he would make sure he knew he had a family, that he wasn’t alone. He was going to save him, even if it was the last thing he did. 

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this is the last chapter that I have in my bank so after this one I will have to write the new chapters so the timing in between will vary now as I work on writing it. Enjoy!

It was three months later, only a week left of Bravo’s tour, and they had yet to have any contact with Clay. Jason was starting to get really worried about him, because by now they should have seen him. He should have made some form of contact by now. They had been on other operations and with being on tour now, there had been plenty of tight moments, moments that would have been perfect for Clay to add assistance with, but he didn’t. They were never able to even pick him up on an ISR. Jason had no idea where Clay was in this world, but he was just hoping that Clay was ok, wherever he was. 

“We’re all set in the back Boss.” Brock said, as the guys surrounded their target’s compound.

“Copy, get ready to breach.” Jason said.

Before he could give the all clear though, a shot rang out and landed between Ray and Jason’s feet. They both looked at each other for a moment before Jason turned his eyes towards the trees and Ray bent down to see the bullet. 

“It’s from his gun.” Ray said.

“I don’t see him.” Jason said, before he keyed his radio. “Bravo One to HAVOC.”

“Copy Bravo One.” Davis responded.

“Clay is here. He fired a shot north of our location, see if you can get eyes on him.”

“Copy Bravo One.”

“Why did he shoot at us?” Sonny asked.

“He doesn’t want us going in.” Ray suggested.

“Check the door.” Jason ordered.

“Bravo Five to Bravo One.”

“Go ahead Brock.”

“We have explosives on the door.”

“Copy, possible explosives here. Bring Cerb around. Trent start looking for another way in.”

“Copy Boss.” Trent responded.

The guys checked the door and once Brock arrived with Cerberus, right away Cerb sat in front of the door. They all knew now why Clay shot, he must have seen the explosives.

“Kid just saved our lives. Looks like we owe him a case of beer when we finally get a hold of him.” Sonny commented.

“I think we’re up to three now.” Ray countered.

“Bravo One, I got an unlocked window around the east side of the building. It’s big enough to go through.” Trent said.

“Copy, coming to you.”

The guys moved around the building and after Cerberus confirmed it was safe to enter, they breached the compound. The guys went through the compound eliminating anyone that they came across. Their operation was to eliminate a target that was causing a lot of problems this time around. He was known for making explosives so they were being extra cautious on this operation. The very last thing they wanted was to get blown up. They worked their way through the compound and this time around it was Sonny’s bullet that hit the target. 

“Bravo One to HAVOC, Jackpot.”

“Good copy Bravo One. Davis has a lock on Clay’s position. We’re ready to track him once you leave.” Blackburn said.

“Copy HAVOC, heading out now.” 

“Let’s go get your boy.” Sonny said with a big smile.

The guys all headed out and once they got word from Davis in the direction that Clay was moving, they headed off. They would need to try and trap him so he couldn’t flee. Jason didn’t care though, because this could finally be his chance to see Clay. This could finally be his chance to speak with his son and get him to come home. He was this close and nothing was going to stop him now.

XXX

Clay was exhausted. His whole body was hurting him from the past three months. He had been travelling all over Peru trying to get his target and when he finally did he was being sent into J-Bad to eliminate the head terrorist in the current terrorist cell that was causing the most problems. Clay had no idea Bravo was even here, but when he caught sight of them he couldn’t help himself, he just wanted to see his dad again. The past three months had been hard. Moore was still not happy with him for lying to him. He had discovered that Bravo had pulled Moore in to speak to him. Moore knew he had been the one to tell Jason about being his son. To say that Moore was pissed was an understatement. Moore was punishing him for breaking the ultimate rule and Clay had no idea how long this was going to go on for. Moore was running him hard and it was taking a serious toll on his body. It was more than just the exhaustion. He hadn’t been able to eat much, especially within the past two weeks with being in J-Bad. There wasn’t really anything he could hunt to eat and he knew better then to be seen again. His whole body was sore from all of the walking and chasing for the past three months. He was also sick with something for the past week. Whatever it was, was making it harder for him to breathe. His lungs were tight, he had a fever and he just felt off. Clay was really hoping he would start to feel better soon, because there was no way he was going to be able to see a doctor anytime soon.

Clay was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice that he had been followed. Clay stopped short when a shadow appeared in his line of sight on the ground. Clay snapped his eyes up, his stomach instantly going to his throat at the prospect that he was in danger. Seeing the man that he now knows as Sonny, didn’t ease his fears at all.

“Whoa Little Buddy, I come in peace.” Sonny said, as he held his hands up slightly so Clay wouldn’t think he was looking to hurt him. 

Clay looked around trying to see if the others were here. He didn’t think Bravo would be trying to find him now that they knew who he was. He figured Jason would move on with his life. He knew that Jason had been led to believe he was dead, something Clay wasn’t sure how he felt about, but he could understand why Jason would most likely have more questions. He wasn’t sure what answers he would have though. Clay heard movement behind him and he turned around to see two more men from Bravo.

“It’s alright, that is just Trent and the guy with the dog is Brock. The dog is Cerberus. I’m Sonny. We all work with Jason, with your dad.” Sonny said, trying not to spook Clay away.

Sonny still couldn’t believe that Clay was Jason’s son that he had been under the impression had died twenty-four years ago. Sonny really felt like shit for punching the kid last time. The very last thing he wanted was for Clay to run or feel like he needed to fight. They just needed to keep him here for a few seconds before Jason got here and then he would be able to talk to Clay.

“You ok Clay? You’re not looking too good.” Trent said, as he moved closer to Clay.

They could see that Clay was clearly sick with something. He looked a lot worse that he did three months ago when they saw him. He was thinner, his skin was pale, his body had a slight tremble to it from the fever running through him. Trent’s fingers itched to be able to check Clay over, but he knew that would not be possible right now. Clay looked around and they could all see he was trying to figure out how to get away from them. He was going to run, but Sonny spoke up hoping to keep Clay here for just a minute or two longer. Jason and Ray would be here soon and then Jason would be able to convince Clay to go back with them.

“Hold up there Little Buddy. You don’t want to do that ok? You don’t want to run; we might not be able to catch you, but Cerb will run faster than you. And you won that fight last time, but you ain’t looking too good. You won’t win a second time here. Why don’t you just wait a few minutes. Your dad is on the way. He’s going to be here. Don’t you want to see him again? I know he is dying to see you. He’s been looking for you for three months now. Just hang on for another minute so he can see you.” 

The guys heard footsteps and Sonny spoke again. “See, that’s him.”

The guys could see the conflict on Clay’s face. He wanted to run, but he also wanted to see Jason. Before Clay could even make a decision on what he should be doing, Jason and Ray appeared from the trees behind Sonny. Jason was instantly moving closer to Clay and the concern on his face was clear as day to everyone. Jason took in Clay’s appearance and he instantly knew if something wasn’t done, if something didn’t change, he would be burying his son for a second time. 

“Please don’t run, please son just stay and hear me out.” Jason said, as he could instantly pick up the urge Clay had to flee.

“I’m sorry.” Clay said softly, talking for the first time since the guys found him.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Jason instantly said.

“I broke a rule. Breaking rules are bad. I wasn’t supposed to contact you, to tell you.” 

“Breaking rules can be bad, but when those rules are put in place to cause you harm, then those rules are meant to be broken and you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m not mad that you told me. I’ve never been happier. You told me you just wanted to see me one time, that you just wanted one conversation with me. Well, I don’t want just one. I want to see you every day of my life. I want thousands of conversations. I want to see what you look like when you smile. I want to know what your laugh sounds like. I don’t want just one time with you. You are my son, a son that I buried and have mourned for twenty-four years now. I don’t want to lose any more time with you. Come back with us to the base. Whatever is going on, we can figure it out.”

“I’m not supposed to be seen. I can’t keep breaking the rules he’s already mad. I have to do what I’m told, it’s easier when I don’t make him mad.”

They could all hear the slight panic to Clay’s tone, but they could also hear confusion. He was clearly exhausted and hadn’t slept in a few days. His mind was having a harder time processing the information because it was exhausted. He needed sleep, desperately. 

“Agent Moore is not a good person. You don’t have to worry about him, I will protect you from him. We all will. Does he hurt you? Ever violent?”

Jason made sure he used simple words. It wasn’t that he thought Clay wasn’t intelligent, he knew it was the exact opposite based on his file. He wasn’t sure just what words Clay knew due to him being isolated for so long. There had never been an apartment or home in Clay’s name. There’s never been any indication that he had been around people outside of Agent Moore. Even in his childhood, he spent it in orphanages in a war torn area of Liberia. There was a lot that he was missing from just being in a social environment. Jason had no idea what Clay knew outside of math and languages. 

“No, he loves me.”

The guys all felt a rock just crash into their stomachs. Something more was going on that they knew about. Agent Moore wasn’t just Clay’s handler and if that was true then it would explain all of the additional rules that he had for Clay. It was a typical abuser move, manipulate and isolate their victim so they can only rely on them. Make them feel like they aren’t good enough and are always in trouble. That way they would push through it and do whatever the abuser wanted in order to please them.

“Clay, are you and Agent Moore dating?” Jason asked, doing everything he could to keep the boiling rage from coming out in his voice. The very last thing he wanted was Clay thinking he was angry at him.

“For almost eight years.” Clay admitted, having no idea just what that truly meant.

None of the guys were math geniuses but they could do that math easily. Eight years ago would have put Clay at sixteen. In some places sixteen was the age of consent, however, a sixteen year old completely isolated from the world. One that grew up in a war zone with no parents, that was not a sixteen year old that was capable of making that decision.

“Son, almost eight years ago you would have been sixteen and Agent Moore would have been thirty-seven. Do you know what the word illegal means?”

“When you break the law.”

“That’s right. And one of those laws is that someone over the age of eighteen, can’t date anyone under the age of eighteen. So Agent Moore being thirty-seven and dating you at sixteen, was him breaking the law. Good men, they don’t have sex with someone that is underaged.”

“That doesn’t matter anymore. I’m not sixteen. He loves me, we’re going to have a home and a family together one day. I just have to be good and not break the rules. I can’t lose him, he’s all I have.”

Jason knew it wasn’t going to be simple separating Clay from Agent Moore. Even if you took out the fact that Clay worked for the CIA. Agent Moore had taken advantage of Clay when he was sixteen and that was just the start of the abusive relationship. Agent Moore didn’t have to lay a finger on Clay in a violent way to make him do whatever he wanted. He isolated him and manipulated him into doing whatever he wanted, all while dangling a carrot in front of his face to keep chasing. It was going to take time to heal the damage that had been done by Agent Moore, but it was time that Jason was more than willing to put in to save his son’s mental health. 

“No Sunshine, he’s not all you have. He is what he has made you believe he is all you have. He’s isolated you from the world. Not allowing you to have a home to live in. Not allowing you to be seen by anyone. Forcing you to rely on him for any form of human contact. He’s not all you have. You have me. You have a younger sister and brother. You have a lot of uncles and aunts. You have little cousins. You have a whole family and a home back in Virginia Beach. If you come with us, yes you may lose him, but you are gaining so much more. You get to have a family who loves you, a home, the freedom to do what you want, go where you want. No more hiding from people. No more living outside. You could have a real life with people who love you in it. All you have to do is take my hand and it’ll be over.”

Jason held his hand out to Clay and waited. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy on Clay. He was offering him a different life, but that life would also be terrifying to him. Clay had been so isolated that being in a world where there were hundred people around you when you left your home, it would be overwhelming for a little while. He was asking Clay to change his whole life, it wasn’t an easy decision, especially when you factor in the manipulation and abuse by Agent Moore. 

Clay looked at the offered hand and he didn’t know what to do. He would be lying if he said the idea of leaving with Jason didn’t sound amazing. It sounded like a dream come true, something he had dreamt about since he was a young child. He had desperately wanted out of this life for so long. At the same time though, could he really just walk away from Agent Moore? He had given this man his body and his heart, how could he walk away from him? Clay didn’t know if what Jason said was true, that what Agent Moore was doing with him was wrong or not. It was the only relationship he had ever been in. Agent Moore was the only man he had been with. He had no idea if what they were doing was right or wrong. Maybe it was normal for the sex to not always feel good. Maybe it was normal for the other guy to not really touch him. Maybe it was normal for him to only get a little bit of pleasure from his partner. Agent Moore always enjoyed their time together. Clay figured that maybe there was something wrong with him for not getting more pleasure out of it. He did enjoy kissing Agent Moore and he did enjoy when he gave Agent Moore head, at least in the beginning. Clay figured that meant he wasn’t into women. He had no idea what to make of any of this, but maybe what he needed was time. Maybe he needed some time away to figure it all out. Figure out who he was and what he wanted in life. This life was the only one he had known, maybe it was time to see what else the world had to offer. 

Clay let out a slow shaky breath before he reached out his hand and took Jason’s offered one. Jason easily pulled Clay into him and wrapped his arms around his son for the very first time. Clay flinched for a second at the contact and it was clear that he had never been hugged before. He stood there very stiff with his hands up slightly, not sure what to do with them or what was going on. Jason didn’t let go though. He just continued to hold onto Clay and after a moment he started to feel Clay relaxing into his arms. Clay placed his hands on Jason’s back and he relaxed into the comfort that Jason had to offer him. Clay had often wondered what a hug would feel like. What it would feel like to be hugged by his dad. He never thought he would get to experience it and he was shocked by the effect it was having on him. He felt warm, safe and loved. He had never felt like this before, not even when he was around Agent Moore, though they had never hugged before. All too soon for Clay’s liking Jason was pulling back a bit, but he kept his hands on him.

“You have a pretty high fever. Let’s get you to the base so you can rest.”

Jason guided Clay through the trees with the guys right there with him. They made their way to where their vehicles were hidden just a little bit aways as they were looking for Clay through the dense forest. Once there Jason got into the back with Clay, while Ray got into the passenger seat with Sonny driving. Trent, Brock and Cerberus got into the second vehicle. Once Clay sat down he brought his legs up to his chest as he often did. He leaned into Jason’s hold on him and allowed himself to soak up the comfort that was coming from the strong man. Clay watched through the windows as they drove. He had seen the area before, but he had never gone near the Navy base. He knew better than to get too close to the military. His anxiety started to increase with the knowledge that he would soon be in the base and being seen by a lot of people. People that weren’t supposed to know of his existence. Jason could pick up on Clay’s anxiety and he ran his hand up and down Clay’s arm as he leaned in and spoke softly so only Clay would hear him.

“It’s ok. I promise, you won’t be in trouble for this.”

“Not supposed to be seen.” Clay said again, and Jason had a feeling Clay’s mind was constantly going over the rules. Obsessed with not breaking them.

“I know, but that isn’t a rule you have to follow anymore. I’ll keep you safe, I promise. Just try and relax, we’ll be there soon and then Trent will check you over and see if you need an antibiotic. You can get showered, have something to eat and get some sleep. You can just relax.”

All of that sounded good to Clay and he really would have loved to get some sleep. At the same time though, he had a target he needed to eliminate. Clay figured he would rest for a little bit and then go back out and find his target. It was twenty minutes later when they arrived on base and Sonny drove them up to where their quarters were. He figured it might be better for Clay to be in the lounge then in a largely populated area on base. It was also just down from the showers and up from Jason’s quarters where he figured Clay would be sleeping. Jason got Clay out of the vehicle and he took him inside.

“Why don’t you sit down; I just need to get my gear off.” Jason said.

Clay went to sit down on the floor, but stopped when Jason spoke again. “Not on the floor Sunshine, you can sit on the couch.”

“Only the elders are allowed to use the furniture.” Clay said, slightly confused by Jason’s comment.

“That’s common in African culture, but not in American culture. Everyone, no matter their age, can sit and use the furniture.” Ray explained.

“It’s ok to sit, I promise.” Jason said with a warm smile.

Clay looked at the others and when he didn’t see anyone objecting he gave a nod and sat down on the corner spot of the couch. The guys noticed that he brought his legs up to his chest once again and they all knew that was something ingrained into him. The guys made quick work of getting changed and Jason spoke to Brock softly.

“Can you try and find some clean clothes for him?”

Brock just gave a nod and headed off to find a change of clothes for Clay to wear. The rest of the guys made their way over to the couches and Jason sat down next to Clay as Trent moved and sat down on the coffee table facing Clay. 

“Son, Trent is the team’s medic. He looks after our injuries and whenever we are sick. He’s going to have some questions for you, do you think you could answer them?” Jason said, calmly.

Clay gave a slow nod and Trent began.

“All I need is for you to answer honestly ok kiddo?” With a nod from Clay, Trent spoke again. “Have you been injured since the last time we saw you?” Another head shake. “How are you feeling right now? What doesn’t feel good?”

“I’m cold, tired, my lungs hurt.”

“Do they hurt all the time or just when you try to take a deep breath?”

“Both.”

“For how long?”

“I don’t know, the days kinda blur together.”

“Ok, how long roughly have you been in J-Bad?” Trent asked, just as Brock came in and placed his medical kit down next to him and the clean clothes on the end of the couch.

“Um...two weeks. I think.”

“Were your lungs hurting before you got to J-Bad or after?”

“After, but before when I was in Peru I noticed I wasn’t feeling good. I was stuck outside in a really bad storm for three days waiting on the target.”

“Ok, I’m just going to take your temperature and listen to your lungs, ok?”

“How?” Clay asked, confused.

Trent answered, as he opened his kit and took out the items he needed. “Have you ever been to a doctor before Clay?”

“Not that I remember.”

“What have you done in the past when you were sick or injured?”

“Sick, I would just ride it out. Some plants and herbs have medical properties I would use them when I could. Damon, he gave me a um… a kit. It um…” Clay tried to think of the word, but he just couldn’t. “I don’t know the English word for it.”

“Do you know the Arabic one?” Ray asked.

“Khiata.” Clay simply said.

“Suture. He gave you a suture kit.” Ray translated.

“So you’ve given yourself stitches before?” Trent asked.

“Doctors aren’t allowed. I lost it though a few years ago in Kazakhstan when I was grabbed. I didn’t look for it when I escaped.”

“Ok, I’m just going to check your temp.” 

Trent grabbed the thermometer and he went to run it over Clay’s forehead, but Clay flinched back. It was clear he had never had this ever done before and they could all see the fear that flashed through his eyes. Trent pulled back, giving Clay room to calm down and feel safer. Trent was mentally kicking himself for not thinking this through. Clay had just said he was captured at one point, based on the amount of scars Ray said he had, he would have been tortured in his life as well. Combined with the years of isolation, something like a thermometer could be perceived as painful. Especially if you had never had your temperature taken before.

“It’s ok, it’s just to check your temperature.” Jason said, trying to offer what comfort he could to Clay.

“I’m sorry kiddo I should have explained first. This is a thermometer and it can read your body temperature. All I do is run this ball at the end of the thermometer across your forehead. Like this.” Trent said, before he turned to Jason and ran the thermometer across his forehead for it to beep. Trent then turned it towards Clay to show him the small screen. “98.6, he doesn’t have a fever. 98.6 is the average for body temperature. Anything higher and he would have a fever. Can I check your temperature?”

“Ok.” Clay said, slightly unsure still that it wouldn't hurt.

Trent moved slower so he wouldn’t startle Clay. The second it touched his forehead Clay flinched slightly, but he didn’t pull back like last time. Trent ran it over Clay’s forehead and once it beeped he pulled back. Jason put his arm around Clay and ran his hand up and down his arm. He spoke softly as he placed a kiss to the side of Clay’s head.

“Good job. You’re doing great.”

“102.3, you definitely have an infection in your body.” Trent said.

“How do you know?” Clay asked.

“When you have a fever that means your body is working to fight against an intruder in your system. That intruder is an infection and the only way to cure it is an antibiotic. Have you ever had medicine before?”

Clay just shook his head no and Trent made a mental note to start with penicillin, as that was the most common and generally had the fewest allergies. Trent then picked up his stethoscope and this time he told Clay about it first.

“This will allow me to listen to your heart and hear your breathing.”

Trent put in the ends into his ears before he turned back to Jason and placed the circle end on his chest. After a moment he moved back and looked at Clay, who gave a small nod, and Trent went and listened to his heart first. He didn’t hear any muffles or any problems with his heart beat, something he was very happy about. He then moved on to Clay’s lungs, they didn’t sound good.

“Can you try and take a deep breath for me kiddo?”

Clay did his best to take a deep breath. It hurt and it caused him to cough. Clay turned his head away and coughed into his left arm. The guys could all hear how rough his lungs were from just the sound of the cough. Sonny went over to the beer fridge and pulled out a water bottle. He opened it and handed it over to Jason. Once Clay stopped coughing Jason handed him his water as Sonny spoke.

“Don’t need to be a doc to know what that is.”

“It’s pneumonia.” Trent stated.

Clay took a few small sips to try and calm his coughing down. His breathing was a bit wheezy and Clay seemed even more tired now. 

“What is that?” Clay asked.

“It’s a pretty serious infection that could put you in the hospital if it is left untreated. What happens is there is a clear fluid that builds up in your lungs. If you don’t do anything that fluid will continue to fill your lungs, causing you to not have enough room in your lungs for oxygen. Without proper oxygen, you will go into respiratory arrest and stop breathing. But, we caught it early and I will go and get you an antibiotic from the infirmary and that will clear it up within two weeks. You’ll start to feel better within the next few days. I can also give you something to reduce your fever.” Trent explained.

“I’ve never taken anything before.” Clay said, unsure how he felt about taking medication. He wasn’t really sure what would happen when he took it.

“That’s ok. The antibiotic I’m going to pick up for you doesn’t tend to have side effects. Have you eaten anything today?”

Clay shook his head no and Trent continued. “When was the last time you did eat?”

“Since I got here, so I guess two weeks ago.”

“Why haven’t you eaten in two weeks?” Jason asked, concerned about Clay going for so long without food. 

“There’s not much to hunt here. I caught a rabbit before I left Peru, but I haven’t been able to find anything since.”

“Alright, I will grab you some soup to eat before you can take the medication. I’ll go do that. Why don’t you get cleaned up and changed that way you can eat and then just sleep.” Trent suggested.

“I’ll show you where the bathroom is and you can get cleaned up.” Jason said.

Clay gave a small nod and Trent put his things away and got up. Clay and Jason got up and Jason grabbed the clean clothes that Brock had left for him. Jason guided Clay to where the bathroom was while the guys got their gear so they could put it where they belonged. They would meet Jason in his quarters shortly. They all didn’t need to be in the bathroom with Clay. Clay walked into the bathroom and saw that there were multiple stalls with doors and also an area where there were other stalls made of complete tiles with a half wall covering the bottom half of the stalls. 

“What is this place?” Clay asked, as he looked around.

“It’s the bathroom. This base is used by a lot of people so the bathroom is pretty big. We also have another one on the other side of the base. It’s pretty quiet right now, so we’ll probably be alone.” Jason moved over to the stall where the toilet was. He opened the door and held it open so Clay could see. “These are the toilet parts and the other area is for the showers. On the wall behind the lockers are the sinks. The lockers are used by the operators. We have our shower stuff in them.”

Jason moved over to his locker and opened it so he could grab a towel and some shampoo and body wash for Clay to use.

“Shower?” Clay asked, confused by the word.

“Ya, it’s what is called when you wash your hair and body. Have you ever had a shower before?” 

“I normally get clean in creeks or in the rain.”

“We have showers. They are in your bathroom and they are connected to the water pipes that are underground. The pipes are connected to the main water supply in that city.” Jason explained.

“We didn’t have that growing up.” Clay simply stated.

“I am sure there was a lot you didn’t get to have with growing up in Africa. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for that.” Jason said with deep regret in his voice.

“It’s not your fault, you didn’t know.”

“I know, but that doesn’t change that I wish I was there.”

“You’re here now.” Clay said with a small shrug. 

“And I always will be.” Jason said with a warm smile.

He moved over to the shower and hung the towel on the hook on the outside of the stall and placed the two bottles on the top of the half wall. Clay moved over to see what was going to happen.

“So in order to turn it on you just turn the knobs. The blue one is for cold water and the red one is for hot water. You can turn them until you get a temperature that you find comfortable.” Jason explained before he turned the cold water on.

At the water shooting out, Clay jumped slightly, not expecting anything like this to happen. He figured it would just drip out or something.

“You ok?” Jason asked, with concern.

“Sorry, just used to everything being quiet, dictable.” Clay said, as he lowered his head slightly.

Jason slowly reached out, but he made sure his hand was in Clay’s line of sight before he placed it on the bottom of his chin and lifted his head up. “First, you never have to look down. No one is above you, you’re not less than someone. Keep those blue eyes up. Second, you don’t ever have to apologize for being a little jumpy or skittish. You’ve been through a lot, you’ve been going through this world all alone. It’s natural for you to be having issues with all of this change. You will adapt though and it won’t be so scary or intimidating.”

“Ok.” Clay simply said and Jason was wondering if Clay had more feelings inside of him that he wasn’t able to properly communicate with him. It was something they would need to talk about later after Clay got some sleep.

“A side note, it’s not dictable, it’s predictable. Your life was predictable.” Jason corrected with a warm smile.

“Predictable.” Clay repeated.

“You can check the temperature and see if it is warm enough for you. The shampoo and body wash are here for you to use. I’ll give you some privacy to get your clothes off.”

“Shampoo?” Clay asked, confused by the word.

“It’s what you use to clean your hair. It’s like soap for your hair.” Jason explained.

“Oh it’s xǐ tóu.”

“I have no idea what language that is, but if it means shampoo, then yes.”

Clay gave a nod and Jason moved back towards the lockers so Clay could adjust the water temperature and get undressed. It was a few moments later he could hear the difference in the water droplets and he took a peak and saw that Clay was in the shower and fully covered by the half wall. Jason could see even from where he was the scars that littered Clay’s upper body. That littered his son’s body. There was a deep rage that filled his whole body at the thought of what Clay could have gone through in his life. A deep rage at Ash for allowing this all to happen. Ash knew when Clay was three that he was his biological father. He could have easily dropped Clay off at any police or fire station with Mia’s letter. That’s all he had to do and Jason would have found Clay and gotten to raise him. So much pain could have been avoided if Ash had just been a decent human being for the first time in his life. 

It was ten minutes later when the water turned off and Jason waited until he was certain Clay would be covered by the towel before he looked over at him. Clay had a towel wrapped around his slim hips just standing there not sure what to do. 

“These are clean and they should fit you.” Jason said, referring to the clean fatigues that Brock had gotten for him.

Clay gave a nod and started to get dressed. Jason turned around to give him privacy again. Jason didn’t want to make Clay feel uncomfortable at all. He wasn’t sure what Clay had been through and the very last thing he wanted was for Clay to think Jason wanted anything like that from him. Once Jason heard Clay start to put his boots on, he knew it was safe to turn around. With Clay ready to go, Jason put his stuff back into his locker and guided Clay out of the bathroom and down to his quarters. This time around Jason was able to have a quarters with two beds in it. He normally didn’t but for some reason this time around there were less people on base, freeing up a more roomy space. Jason saw Blackburn and Mandy standing outside of his room and he knew they wanted to talk. First he needed to get Clay inside, because he didn’t know what was going to be said and he didn’t want Clay to hear it. 

Jason walked Clay into the room as he spoke. “That is my Commanding Officer, I just need to speak with him and then I’ll be right back. Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back ok?”

Clay simply gave a nod and Jason headed out, closing the door behind him. He turned his attention to Blackburn and Mandy, speaking as he walked a bit down the road so Clay wouldn’t overhear their voices.

“I know technically he’s not supposed to be here. But I couldn’t just leave him out there.”

“I never expected you to. Trent briefed us on his condition while he went to the infirmary. Has he agreed to go back to the states with us?” Blackburn asked.

“I haven’t gotten into it all. I think he will, but he needs some sleep first. Agent Moore is going to be a bigger problem than I thought. He’s been sleeping with Clay since he was sixteen.”

“Whoa.” Mandy said shocked by that. From everything she had read about Agent Moore he was a great agent. Something like this could ruin his career.

“Are they still sleeping together?” Blackburn asked.

“Ya. Agent Moore tells Clay that he loves him, that if Clay is good enough then one day they can have their own home together and family. Clay said he’s never been violent, but he’s mentally and emotionally abusing him, manipulating him. It’s going to take a lot of work to repair that damage.”

“Do you have a plan for him?” Blackburn said, referring to Clay.

“Just get him home and start getting him healthy. He’s pretty sick and he’s going to be malnourished. He’s got a long road to go until he’s even physically in a good place. I don’t know what he wants out of life yet, we haven’t gotten into anything like that. How hard is it going to be to get him away from assassinations?”

“Not as hard as you think. The CIA Director is most likely under the impression that Clay wants to be in his position. Once we make it clear that Clay doesn’t want to do the assassinations anymore it’s only a matter of figuring out where he goes.” Mandy answered.

“What works in our favor is how valuable Clay is. He’s in a unique position where he could pick any department he wanted to be in. He’s also highly skilled so if he wanted to, he could move over to the Navy and possibly even work in a Tier One team without having to go through Green Team.” Blackburn added.

“Really? How would that work?” Jason had no idea if Clay even wanted anything like this, but it was interesting and something Jason was curious about. 

“He has proven that he has the skills to be operating. Plus his language skills and he’s the best shot in the world. It wouldn’t be a hard sell to get him into a Tier One team. He would have to pass certain tests, like hand to hand combat and he would need to get his parachute certificate. But, those are things that he could easily do without having to go through Green Team.” Blackburn explained.

“Lots of operators go from the Navy to the CIA. There’s nothing that states someone can’t go from the CIA to the Navy.” Mandy added.

“Ok, I’ll mention it to him after we get back home. I don’t know if he’ll want to, I don’t know if he even wants this life. He might want to quit and go to school and be something else. He’s never had the chance to discover who he is or what he wants.”

“It’s not something we have to figure out right now. We will deal with the CIA and getting him on leave. Mandy is going to speak with the Director and make sure he is well aware of Clay’s condition and his involvement with Agent Moore. We might need to force the separation of the two for Clay’s own good.” 

“I have a feeling that’s what we’re going to need to do. Agent Moore isn’t going to lose an asset like Clay. He’s making too much money off of him. The sooner we can keep them apart the better.” Jason agreed.

“I’ll make it happen.” Mandy promised.

“You focus on him. We only have a week left here and we don’t have anything coming up.”

Jason gave a nod and both Blackburn and Mandy headed off. Jason made his way back into his quarters and saw that Clay wasn’t in bed, but actually curled up laying down on the ground. Just the sight of it was enough to cause his heart to break. To think that Clay had never even slept in a bed because he wasn’t allowed, it was just wrong. He didn’t deserve this, no child did. Jason made his way over to Clay and he bent down as he spoke. 

“Clay.”

Clay opened his eyes and Jason could see the pure exhaustion within them. He couldn't wait until they could get home and get Clay settled. He had a three bedroom apartment, one room was set up for the kids, but he had a storage room that he could turn into Clay’s bedroom.

“You don’t sleep on the floor, you sleep in a bed.” Jason explained.

“Not allowed.” Clay simply said.

“You are. No more sleeping on the ground, you sleep in a bed now. Come on son.”

Jason got Clay up just as the door was opening. Trent walked in with a bowl of soup, a bottle of pills and a glass of water. Jason got Clay down onto his temporary bed as Trent spoke.

“I got your medication, but you need something in your stomach for you to take it. This is just some chicken broth, it’s a soup. It won’t bother your stomach, but it will put something in it. When you wake up next time we’ll get you to eat something more substantial.” 

Trent handed the bowl of soup carefully over to Clay, Clay leaned back against the wall and looked at the soup. He had never had soup before, but it smelt good. Clay blew on it to cool it off before he went to bring the bowl up to his mouth. 

“Use the spoon kiddo.” Trent said.

“Spoon?” Clay asked, confused.

Jason sat down on the bed and picked up the spoon that was in the bowl. He was starting to get a better picture of the things they would need to teach Clay. 

“This is called a utensil. There are spoons, knives and forks, you use them when you are eating most foods. Spoons are for things like soup, cereal, ice cream, etc. Knives are used to cut food and forks can be used to pick food up. You hold them just like you would a pencil.”

“Pencil?” Clay asked, confused once again.

“What you use to write with. Do you write?”

“I read, I don’t have a reason to write.”

“That’s ok. I’ll teach you. You hold it like this.” 

Jason showed Clay how to hold the spoon before handing it over to Clay and helping him have the proper hold. With it in his hand Clay used it to take a drink from the soup. 

“How does it taste?” Trent asked. He knew chicken broth was nothing to be excited about, but Clay had been eating wild game for the majority of his life. This was something different and Trent was curious to see how he felt about it.

“It’s good. Different, but it tastes good. It doesn’t taste like chicken though.”

“Chicken broth is made from chicken bones and water with flavoring. It’s designed to have a lot of salt and given to people when they are sick to help their stomach. Once you are starting to feel better you will be able to eat a lot of different food.” Trent explained.

The door opened and the guys all came into the room. They moved around though so they wouldn’t be overcrowding Clay as he ate.

“Hey kiddo, feel better after a nice warm shower?” Ray asked with a warm smile.

“It was different.”

“Blackburn said we probably wouldn’t get another op before we leave in a week.” Sonny said, trying to give Clay a break from the spotlight.

“It’s looking that way. We have an easy week ahead of us before we fly back.” Jason agreed.

“Are you looking forward to seeing America Clay? You’ll get to see what it looks like in a week.” Ray said, hoping to get a feel for what Clay was feeling about it all.

“I won’t be there in a week.” Clay simply said.

“Remember, you said you would come home with me. Home is in the States.” Jason said, gently.

“I know, but I have to get my target first.”

“You’re here on an op? Who’s the target?” Jason didn’t think Clay was here for an operation. He thought Clay was here because they were. He should have considered it though.

“Amil Hazzem.”

“That man’s a ghost. No one has seen him in years.” Ray said, surprised that the CIA would be trying to get him eliminated. 

He was a huge terrorist leader, but he stayed hidden, completely out of sight. He was responsible for thousands of deaths and close to a hundred of them were american military. 

“I found him a couple of days ago, he was on the move. I lost him though, I don’t know how. I got turned around somehow and I lost him. I’ve never lost a target before, I don’t know how it happened.” 

There was a slight panic tone to Clay’s voice and they could tell there was some history there about Clay not completing an operation.

“You are sick and you haven’t slept in days. It’s not surprising for you to have gotten turned around or disorientated.” Trent explained.

“As for your target, we can try and locate him. Don’t worry about it right now. The best thing for you to do is rest and get better.” Jason said. The last thing Jason wanted was for Clay to get stressed out about finding his target. They could try and locate the target and help him eliminate him. 

Trent took Clay’s empty bowl and grabbed the pills for him. He handed Clay one pill at a time and the glass of water. Clay took the pills, after Trent instructed how, and Trent took the glass of water back and placed it down on the bedside table. 

“We’ll get out of here so you can sleep. We’ll see you when you wake up kiddo.” Ray said.

“Goodnight Little Buddy.” Sonny added, as he stood up.

The guys made their way out of the room, leaving just Jason and Clay. 

“Come on, let’s get you laying down.” 

Jason moved off the bed and Clay laid down onto the bed. He couldn’t help but notice how soft it was. He had never slept on anything soft before and it was making it even harder to keep his eyes open. Jason quickly removed Clay’s boots before he covered him up with the blanket and he sat down on the edge of the bed. He ran his hand through Clay’s hair as he spoke. 

“Get some sleep Sunshine. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Clay could no longer win the fight to keep his eyes open. He let them close and he escaped into the abyss. Jason continued to sit there and run his hand through Clay’s hair. He noticed how Clay was curled up into himself, something that steamed from years of abuse and not feeling safe. He knew it would take time and a lot of work, but he was determined to get Clay through this. Jason didn’t care how long it took, he was going to make sure his son was happy and healthy. Even if it was the last thing he ever did. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So what did you think? Are you dying for more? I am also looking for anyone that enjoys doing illustrations. I am working on putting together a website that will feature M/M art pieces, along with stories and even interactive stories. So I would love for some people to showcase their art that is M/M focused both clean and erotic. As well as anyone interested in getting credit for illustrations that will be used for the interactive stories. Please message me if you are interested in getting your art and name out there!


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